Dirty Little Secrets
by QueenOfFanFicWorldLoveGunner
Summary: Konan is just a normal girl, going to school, very normal, yes, normal. The only thing special about her is that she's charming- which may explain why she has such abnormal friends. AkatsukiCentricAU
1. Chapter 1

_***THIS IS A MEANINGLESS CHAPTER. SKIP IT IF YOU WANT TO GET TO THE STORY***_

**DISCLAIMER:** TO BE REMEMBERED FOR THE ENTIRE FUCKING DURATION OF THIS STORY. I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, OR ANYTHING ELSE USED IN THIS STORY. I OWN A

AMOUNT OF OC'S. BUT DAMMIT, NOTHING ELSE IS MINE AND YOU **KNOW THAT.**

I say this all now because there will be no other authors notes for the rest of this.

My authors notes tend to ruin the mood of things. Say- with my spazzing, blabbering, nonsense fangirling, unneeded explainations and just all around off-topic talk. 8D I am such a nag.

Originally, I wasn't going to post this. I was going to wait untill it was completely finished. But since I haven't posted anything in forever, I decided to put it up in story arcs.

The next story arc probably won't be finished for, like, ever. But I want proof I've been doing something!

I might post the revision of my Klonoa fanfic 'Rescue me' since I finished the revision but wanted to wait until I had a new chapter and- GAH! THERE'S TINY BUGS ON MY COMPUTER!

... Anyway-

Also, I've become a Hetalia fangirl- and I was blabbering to my momma about story ideas and got to my one called 'Thousand Different kinds of Kisses' and she was like- You don't know no kisses!- so I was like- aw heeeeell naw, now I gotta write it and show her. XD So you might see that up here.

Russian mob and a chinese prostitute FTW!

So as for this story-

Nya, no, it's not Chibi Akatsuki. Much more relevent and less cliche. 8D

_I'll, tell, you, my, dirty-little-secreeeeeeeeet. Don't tell any-one or you'll be justanotherregreeeeeeeeeet. Justanotherregret. Hopethatyoucankeepit._

_My Dirty Little Secret Dirty Little Secret Dirty Little Secret-_

_who has to know?_

...See? I go off topic and start singing! Be greatful, dammit.

... A 1-2-3- that's BULL. Benny said-

DAMMIT.

8D This wasn't even here until I decided- yeah, no other way to tell you WTF's going on with me unless it's here. So I made this extra chapter so I could add the authors note- Hell- I don't even like this being here. It might take you out of the feel of everything! Skip if you want! Skip- SKIP!... But yeah- Originally- Chapter 0.5 was the first chapter. So I suggest you read this authors note, wait a few mintutes- maybe have a snack. Get some popcorn. And then start reading so you can dive into the angsting melencholy crack that was invented when I read the review to Tenchi Muyo in a Anime encyclopedia... OMG I can spell encyclopedia! 8D... Did I spell it right?

I printed out a spell-checked version of this for my grandma, but I'm too lazy to re-do that so... there might be some things... I think I spell proffesor wrong or something- Proffesor? Professor? eh? Damn.

Oh, yes. This should get a sequel. It may. It will be complicated. Don't be surprised if there isn't one though. My story Confessions of a Teenage Monster(Gah needs to be revised!) and SOS: Save Our Souls(Is being revised by a very nice lady 8D) Were also supposed to have sequels... Not that that's still unlikely... I do things so sluggishly... 8D Sometime. I'm sure.

ACTUALLY scratch that. The sequel is GUARANTEED. 8D When I'm done with this I'm posting the Dirty-Little-Secrets prequels. Read! read dammit! I put too much effort into this. XD

_(Also keep a look out for a side-story from this universe starring Naruto. Because he deserves it and I have an idea. 8D)_

Ever have any moments of 'What does that mean?' or 'How'd that happen?' or 'Huh?' Tell me, ask me, I explain. I like explaining things. 8D And ninja's have hidden meanings within the hidden meanings. Although they're not ninja's in this. It's their core.

I love Narutooooooo~ Naruto can do ANYTHING! 8D YAAAAY!

See? If I added authors notes, every chapter would be intturupted with me proclaiming my love, blabbering about my laziness, singing, bitching, and yelling about how stupid Sasuke is... SASUKE IS STUPID... Kind of...

Ranting about the Tobito _theory_FACT. FAAAAAHK.

Okay- and- my indecisive relationship with Sasuke. He's a fucking bastard... hng... Then there's Itachi. 8D smiley face.

AND IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIII WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOOOOOOOOOOU-

Have to stop SINGING!

_Marekaite Chikyuu~ Marekaite Chikiyuu~_

DAMN YOU HOT AND CANONLY GAY PERSONIFIED NATIONS!

Okay, I need to continue- and yes- this was the plan. I have a morale to review every fanfic I fave and to not make authors notes a quarter sized the chapters they are attatched to. But this chapter was added purely for the reason to put an authors notes. (A full chapter of nothing but authors note is against guidelines ppl! If you have something to say, be obnoxious and put the authors note in capital, bold, underlined lettering. If the people still don't read it- well- what do you expect? who want's to read _that?)_

... Okay so I had a dream where Sakura was a super hero and Naruto was her android sidekick and in the extras gallery for the video game there was boob-accurate Sakura porn everytime you beat a new level and-

...YOU DO NOT want blabber like that ruining the mood of angsting Akatsuki. .

Okay, so, Osmosis Jones was on TV today and-

Moving on.

This story was inspired by Tenchi Muyo. Ha. 8D Named after TEH SONG. Dirty Little Secret. Which is pretty damn fitting once you get into the story far enough...

This story contains **STRONG LANGUAGE**. Because Akatsuki are naughty and I refuse to 'M' the story for them just spouting 'fuck' randomly.

8D A relative stopped reading my story SOS at chapter three because Hidan said too many bad words. it made her poor christian ears bleed. XD Whut? when did Jesus say what words are bad? it means sex, people. And cunt means vagina. I wouldn't be offended if someone called me cunt. I would say 'Yes I have one what do you have?'

...I'm sad because they stopped showing Star Trek Next Gen reruns on the TV channel I watch... Wah...

At first I was going to post the first four chapters and then post two a day so I could whore on reviews. But this is being posted as a kind-of 'I'm still alive' thing and will stay like this for quite a while. Sooo- then.

And to my wittle otaku rapper friend in Chicago who keeps changing his username so I don't know what to call him now- The request is coming hon! It can be crappy or it can take forever. I have self-diagnosed OCD. It takes me a while with some things. (_coughchibiakatsukicough_)

And last weekend I was busy, had to get up early and volunteer in the kitchen at a festival- the food that was supposed to last the whole weekend ran out an hour before we closed on the first day. XD

My feet still hurt...

And after reading Hetalia volume 4 I have a complicated relationship with France... More complicated then my relationship with Sasuke. (And that's saything something) I... I want to get a plushie of him... I'm not going to cuddle it, I'm not going to beat it... I... I just want to put it in a special place on my shelf... Maybe I'll throw things at it sometimes... but... I want... one...

... What? I love all my friends. Naruto's my BFF, Klonoa's my baby brother, and the Vocaloids are like my employees...

AND THEN I HAVE YOU.

WHO ARE GOING TO REVIEW.

AREN'T YOU?

REVIEW FOR ME, DA?

XD Gawd I can't pay attention. (Heyhey- guess what? Me and Belarus have the SAME EXACT birthday! SAME EXACT. We're like soul sisters! we have so much in common! WEEEE!)

Now, go have a snack, and then go on with the next chapter. Forget all my babblings. No matter how much it might've made you love me. Forget. It is irrelevent... 8D Everytime I say 'Irrelevent' I think of this one KisaIta fic-...

...And I had ALMOST gotten back on track-

Bad kitty! Bad! off the TV speaker! Bad kitteh! Respect mah authoriteh!

Shouldn't have named that cat Sasuke...

So I was going to get Postal 2 just because they refference it in a Hetalia skit but the day I was going to buy it off amazon it got bought by someone else so I got the Naruto Data book instead, I AM INVICIBLE NOW! ALL THINGS MUST BE CANON! OR ELSE AT LEAST EXCLUSIVELY FANON!

I HAVE THE POWAAAAAAAAAH!

...

I actually put alot of effort into this story. I read it through beggining to end twice. There's still spelling mistakes (Little stuff like the Prof thing and how many L's are in 'until' But content wise I was very careful about... Da.) And to anyone with the ability to notice, (Hi RDBA!) There's two OC's named Akame and Kagura that are recycled over from my SOS story. Haha, needs revised.

Remember kids, I love you.

And Naruto does too.

BELIEVE IT!

**Chapter 0**

_A flash of red- lots of red. Lots and lots of red. __**Blood? Hair? Clothes?**__ Can't tell._

_There's a cat mewing somewhere, loud, constant, like it's mocking me. __**Suddenly I don't think I like cats anymore.**_

_Hm, happy faces. I know those people- Hn, and more colors._

_Rooms, different rooms flashing by. Something happening in each one of them. Something serious- __**bad?**__ Suddenly there's blackness and a dropping feeling. But there's a feeling someone caught me- __**someone caught me? who?**_

_The rooms come up again- that flash- that was of me. I'm in these rooms. Something's happening to me in them._

_Some of them are segments of outside. I don't regonize anyone in them- __**wait- maybe- that was? couldn't be.**_

_The colors behind me flash different shades, different feelings of emotion, different settings._

_Someone reaches for me. A hand- I take it- I have to take it-_

_**I fall short. **__That falling feeling again. I've missed._

_I wonder if I don't wake up before I hit the ground-_

...

I shift myself. No, I'm still in bed.

That dream- colors-... no, it's gone now.

I roll over- _no._ 3AM. I fell asleep an hour ago, I don't even know how I started dreaming that fast.

Back to sleep, back to sleep. School, yes, school. Have to sleep for school. But I'm forgetting something-...

_... I'm dreaming again._

_..._

_Nope, normal dream, no flashing emotions or feelings of fear and disaster._

_Well, if it was a premenition, I would've dreamed the same thing again... Right?..._

_Right?..._

_...Why won't my subconsious ever answer me?_

_No, no, back to sleep. Back to dreaming. It was-..._

_Zzzzzzzzzzz..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 0.5**

_Father _claims something is awakening spirits, but he has always been paranoid. He's obsessed with finding reasons to leave our lives once we've stablized them.

I therefore won't confirm aloud that I know he's _right._

It's a closed, small town, a dainty population probably full of carefree and innocent people, children. _I don't want to go anywhere near there. It would be like ink on white silk._

Father wants to go there, because maleviolent spirits mean people will be steered amiss. Amiss people mean alone people. Alone people mean a _meal._

But it's thousands of miles off my course. I swear that brother is in a completely opposite direction. He should be our only concern now. He is _all_ I care about and _all_ I'll waste my time with. _And I'm fully prepared to desert my family if they make me go that other way._

"Son." I don't make acknowladgment. I know he is here, I know he sees my luggage. I know he will tell me not to go because I'm such an _asset_ to the family.

"What time do you plan to leave?" _Because I will be leaving long before then._

"I know what you're trying to do." He says, _he can make himself sound so __**kind**__ and __**sincere **__when he wants to turn things into his own favor._

"We have more important things to worry about." I don't need to say anything more, because this is the only thing in the world that matters to me.

"We've caught word that Sasuke's near Ame." _The only thing that matters to me._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 1**

"_Konan!_" Mom calls from downstairs. "It's almost nine dear, I want you to have breakfast!"

But I feel like _sleeping,_ not that I'll get that on a Thursday morning in August.

Rolling out of bed- check myself, homework was finished late last night. Notes are in order if Nagato needs them. All my supplies in order incase Professor Yashagoro is in a _sour mood_ and wants to inspect it again.

All is good, but I have the usual feeling I'm forgetting something. I decide it must be the fact that I'd carelessly thrown my uniform into a corner before falling onto my bed. Yeah, that's probably it, and it's all wrinkly, _Momma'll have a fuss._

I pull it on quickly before snatching my bag. I need to eat and then head straight for the bus.

The house seems _larger _on days when I'm tired and really _late._ But usually I try my best to ignore all the unused bedrooms and long, blank hallways. Right now I question which way the _staircase_ is~ _siiigh._

But I make it, and I'm soon at the bottom, where Mom meets me with a plate decorated with eggs on toast. She's all wrapped up in her usual midnight colors kimono-coat.

"How late were you up last night?" She asks as she holds the plate level so I can eat standing up.

"About, almost two." In all honesty. _Can't lie to her_, despite how easy it would be to just say midnight.

She sighs. "Maybe I should talk to your teacher?"

"No, Momma, I don't want them to think I'm complaining." Last time that happened, the complained to teacher proposed I attend the afterschool Sex Education '_in Detail'_ classes.

Mom sighs, but she'll trust my judgement. She's arching herself for her back to crack as I continue to try and chomp as neatly and quickly as humanly possible.

Her desired sound pops, and she looks down at my clothes. "Konan your uniform is terrible! Let me put it in the dryer, your teachers won't like it."

"No time Momma." I explain, succeded in downing the first piece without more then yolk on my hands.

Mom sighs again, more dramatic this time. I can see the old grandfather clock in my periphial and I try to take bigger bites on the next toast. Mom realized my severe rush and blabbers out- "I talked to your father today."

I nod happily to show my joy, he's doing architecture work up in Kumo. I would slow down to more politely listen but that's not going to slow the clock down.

"He might be coming down with the flu. I was going to call him back later tonight once you got home so we can talk to him together. So don't stay out late."

I finish the piece and take the plate to set it on the counter for her. She hands me a napkin from her pocket to wipe my hands with. "I'll be home right after school, I might bring Nagato too."

"That's alright dear you don't have to rush- just try to be home by six, we can call him after dinner." She wrings her hands softly, probably worrying she hasn't messed up my schedule.

I have the tea ceremony club but that's not required for you to come everyday, I barely go anyway. I finish my hands, return the napkin and start for the door. "Luvyoumumbye."

"Be careful down the steps dearest!" She warns as usual. I half-listen but also register the danger of falling down the steps.

Out through the door of my _mansion_-of-a-house. I'm not sure if I'm weird or just really practical but I never really felt right living with my family of three in a giant house like this.

But we inherited it from Grandpa Sanji and in winter there's a nice view of town. I just have to refrain from my rush and walk one step at a time carefully down the long distance of shrine-like steps leading down to the road where I hope the bus is still waiting.

The local stray calico is sitting at the middle of the steps, watching me and yawning, I circle around him and grab the railing so I can at least start taking the steps two at a time.

My heart leaps before sinking, I've made it to the bottom of the steps just as the bus passes my road. I rush to the end of the walk but it's already too far down the road, and I haven't been of fan of chasing after buses since elementry school when I fell and almost broke my teeth doing such.

So now I'm stranded, having to stand here and measure my luck in being able to run the whole way... Not unless I can go through fifty peoples yards unstopped and jump over a river in a single bound.

I hear someone call my name, softly, lower then my Mothers voice and much too close. I turn to the direction.

"Nagato..." I moan sadly, more depressed for him then anything. He isn't on the bus so now we have to walk it and be late _together._

He smiles shyly the way he does and gives a faint laugh. "Um~ you alright?"

"Nagato how did _you_ miss the bus?" I call distressed. Usually he's perfect on everything.

His pale face flushes red, getting flustered. "Um, I didn't, I got off when the bus driver said he had to go on without you."

I make another moan, cursing his gentlemenly-..._ness. _He trys to smile and cheer me up.

"I figured it wouldn't be too bad if we walked together!" He tryed, he's not even embarressed anymore, this is truely his complete train of thought right now.

"Nagato..." I say gentley. "Please never do something so stupid like that again." _I worry about you. _He chuckles again and I take a deep, calming breath.

Nagato has a bike back at his house down the road, but he can't ride it any more faster then we're able to walk. So I start off down the road with him tight by my side.

"_Sorry_ Konan~"

"Oh Nagato don't _apoligize_!" I plead, I just can't comfortably handle what a saint you are.

He bites his lip bashfully. He's been like this even back when he was a small little _tot_, back at that age where you're _supposed_ to be a hellian. Even when_ I _was a little girl I was a mud-coated tomboy, but Nagato has always been saintly, little sweetheart Nagato.

_Sickly little Nagato_. He's had mysterious Silicosis since he was a baby. It didn't even make sense on how he could have possibley gotten a disease caused by inhaling _sand_ and _rocks_ and _junk. _But that's why his skins so pure white, he's so thin and small, and he doesn't have the stamina to walk three miles without hyperventilating.

Which is why all my worries of getting a stern lecture from Professor Yashagoro are less of a concern then how Nagato's gonna hold out the seven mile walk to school.

I dig into my pocket for my emergency phone to call Mom and ask her to call the school telling them we'll be more then a little late. But if I do the math right, and I do it three times, we'll still arrive early enough to make Professor Yashagoro's class. _Man's like a frikkin' snake..._

~'~ ~'~

"- which is exactly the reason why _I don't care_. Now take your seats and try not to act like complete _imbeciles_ when I ask you questions."

Nagato was nodding tiredly and trying to breath quietly through his nose while the Professor explained all the many reasons he didn't care about our excuses or our well-_being._ He does this often, even when no ones done anything wrong- when he thinks of a new way to insult someone awesomely, he finds the smallest excuse to use it.

Now that he's stopped talking, that is our que to go to our seats, both empty, next to eachother in the middle of the room. "Miss Shiori?"

Nagato sets himself carefully down as I turn to Professor Yashagoro. "Yes sir?"

"There's a new student coming in for half-day. Go fetch him a desk before he gets here. You can show him around after school _also."_

I attempt to grin and nod. _Glad he didn't try to punish Nagato_ _any_ but slightly distressed that I'll be held after school. But it wouldn't take long to show a shy little newbie around and if all else fails I could politely, bluntly explain to them my dilemma.

Professor Yashagoro begins his lecture on historic landmarks just as I start for the door. Professor Yashagoro has never been my favorite teacher, or anyone elses for that matter. I had him as Home Economics teacher back in seventh grade. And now he's both my History teacher and Chemistry teacher. He isn't a bad teacher, just downright evil.

_And scary-looking._ Last Halloween, his costume gave Nagato nightmares for so long, he had to see a psychiatrist. No exaggeration.

I go down the steps. The halls are dead-empty right now. So eerily so that not even my shoes are making any noise on the ground.

I stop by the office and Shizune gives me the keys to the storage closet down the hall, by the time I'm there I'm actually quite content with my assignment, until I open the doors and take a look at the spare desks.

They look alot smaller when you're sitting behind them. No fear- I can drag them down the hall, I think. The current problem though is that they're stacked, so I'll have to lift it up and over and onto the ground without impaling or breaking anything.

I set the keys on the top of the storage locker next to me. And I check the hallway. No teachers passing, no students to assist, and the only noise would be my breathing. So I take a sigh and reach up.

I try gently tipping it towards me, but it's too heavy to comply. I balled my hands up and tryed to pull harder without breaking my nails. It moves, but too suddenly and I let it go making it go right back into place.

I look down the empty hall again, checking for the clock, maybe if it takes me too long Professor Yashagoro will come and do it himself. I sigh at myself, this isn't that hard, I must be lazy today.

I nudge it towards me with my palms again- it slides and the front two legs come down, I let out a gasp before it catches on something.

When I turn and see what it was. A boy next to me is holding it up- he wasn't there five seconds ago.

At least I don't think. I take a breath and blink, suddenly bashful. "Um, thank you."

He grins casually. "No problem." He says smoothly. I don't regonize him- not that I know anyone that isn't in my own class- but I haven't ever seen him in school at all. Then it clicks in clearly.

"Oh- are you going to 3-A?" I asked. Grabbing the desk quickly and helping him bring it down.

He nods. "Is this for me?"

"It must be." I closed the doors and locked them. There are already extra chairs in the classroom for the desk. "I can drop these keys off at the office and we can go up there."

He nods again and lifts one end of the desk while I take the other. Well, at least he isn't freightening or otherwise obnoxious. And there's something almost absurdly enchanting about his long dark hair and vivid red eyes.

We shuffle down the hall and I stop to toss Shizune back the keys, she welcomes the newbie and we continue our way. And I'm instaintly very glad he came out of nowhere. It would have taken forever to get the desk up the stairs on my own.

He heads the way politely and we get it up without a problem. We continue the next five feet and make it to the classroom.

Professor Yashagoro has the door open and waiting for us. "Ah, there you are, perfect timing." We set the desk down and I mouth another thank-you to him. Professor Yashagoro helps the boy put it in place. "Alright class, this is our new student. Give your greeting."

I bow with the rest of the class before getting in my seat. I look over, Nagato's breathing has regulated. Good fortune number two.

"Now, introduce yourself boy." He says with the usual sugar-sweetness he uses on newbies.

He nods and addresses all of us. "My name is Itachi Uchiha, I'm a Gemini, and my family and I just moved here from England."

"Any special talents?" Professor Yashagoro asked.

He takes a moment to think. "... I can write my name backwards."

Everyone else giggled, and the Professor scoffed. "I'd like to see that."

Itachi seemed to happily agree. He took a stick of chalk and on the blackboard wrote a perfect mirror image of his name in cursive.

Professor Yashagoro raises his eyebrows and looks moderately impressed for probably only the fifth time in his life. "Alright, that's respectable. You can go to your seat."

Alot of the girls begin giggling excitedly. He's a handsome guy, should become popular pretty quickly.

But my focus is on the red-headed, meek little boy on my left. When Professor Yashagoro says "Nagato, go get Mr. Uchiha's equipment from the office."

~'~ ~'~

Classes go by regularly. I do my work and take my notes, Nagato only needed help with his Economics assignments proof-checking. And Mrs. Yuhi let us skim through that while everyone else handed in their own.

Mrs. Yuhi's my favorite teacher, she comes right after Professor Yashagoro's second round and can cheer up the atmosphere- despite it still being Economics_. Which is hard to be interested in. I find Politics very hypocritical and idiotic._

For lunch I just pulled my chair to Nagato's desk. Like usual. I know the names of everyone in class, but me and Nagato have been together since we were babies and no one's really picked into our squad. We're both friends with Hana Inuzuka, but she has to deal with her little brother causing havoc in the middle school and a part-time job at her parents' animal clinic. _She does however make an amazing adventure companion. Hm, I'm still afraid to go down that street at night-_

Nagato and I talk about the world around us while eating our lunches. Nagato muses to himself idly while I observe the things around me.

I might have spent alot more time looking if my chair wasn't turned the opposite way, but I did look around twice at what Itachi Uchiha was doing. He actually tryed to offer to at least accompany Nagato to the office but Professor Yashagoro wouldn't let him. Not that Nagato had any problem with retrieving a school case half-full of nothing but school supplies, of course.

Kagura Yurei and Akame Obi were trying to talk to him, but Kagura's shy and Akame's annoying, and when I turned around again later he was back to eating by himself. At least I believe he was eating, it looked more like he was just enthusiasicly pushing his food around in its containter.

After that, everything went on regularly. Kagura, as class president welcomed Itachi again before school was over, but then that was it.

So as I pull my things together, I'm trying to calmly think of a logical reason to give him so I can get home early. Nagato offers to take my things and wait for me at a bus stop, but I made him just get on the school bus and wait at my house for me.

After he leaves, I stood in the hall waiting for Itachi to cross my path. He comes out once everyone's done cleaning.

I try to start my explanation- "Hey, Itachi, I was wonder if-"

_He cuts me off. _"You don't have to show me around." He cooly stated. I blinked. Startled, I must make a better argument then I'd thought.

"... Really? It's just- well um, I can show you tomarrow."

"I know where my class is." He chuckled casually. "I wanted to walk around town after school anyway."

I grin and nod, happy. "Some other time then?"

"Whenever you can," He agrees. And then goes on his way.

I'm still nodding, happy with this situation-

Now I have to run downstairs and see if I can catch the bus with Nagato. Within the next three minutes.

~'~ ~'~

We get to my home with perfect time- thanks to the bus. Nagato and I continue chatting as we climb the stone steps.

"You think he's alright?" He says, still facinated by the newbie student.

"He was really casual about it, maybe he just doesn't want to talk to too many people yet." I try, this is the kind of little stuff we go on and on about to pass the time.

Our talk moves on to school assignments and what we're going to do about our Chemistry project Professor Yashagoro almost giddily informed us we'd have. I keep suggesting we make a good old-fashioned volcano model and Nagato wants to do something big with something really simple. I think he also just doesn't want the volcano to blow up.

But I've learned things since my fourth grade science fair, I want to assure him.

We're eventually at the top of the stairs, and we walk the final stretch to my front door. Nagato holds it open for me and we call out _'I'm home!' _in perfect union.

We giggle at ourselves as Mom comes out into the hall. "There you are, you have a visitor Konan- your _tutors_ here."

Mouth dropping open I abandon Nagato and my bag at the doorway and quickly tip-toe towards the sitting room. If I walk too loudly he'll make a wisecrack of me being '_So grudgingly eager, Konan._'

I arrive at the room- and stumble in the doorway, and sure enough he's there, lounging back extra comfortably to make show of how long he probably _hasn't_ been waiting for me. "Good afternoon, Konan." He greets me in pure amusement of my attempts. But Kakuzu Itakura has always been like that.

I try and do my best 'I meant to do that' awkward grin, that I usually have to hold constant when around him. He just has a habit of making this pretty damn moderate student feel like an idiot. "What are you doing here?"

He readjusts himself just so to lean towards me. "Making sure you're not _slacking,_ naturally. I was away for the week. I need to make sure you haven't gotten a _boyfriend _or any other form of an irritating social life."

His green eyes shift to the doorway behind me. I twist around and Nagato's trying to struggle our bags into the room. "Oh Nagato!" I rush to snatch both bags.

Mom enters from a seperate doorway with a tray of snacks she keeps handy. I move Nagato and mine's bags to the couch and Nagato just pants and waves. "Hi Kakuzu!"

He mumbles a greeting while Mom sets up tea cups and saucer plates. While Nagato and I both set ourselves down on the couch opposite Kakuzu. "So then you're getting word from your Father Konan?" He asked.

I take one of the toast pieces Mom's set out and nod my reply. Not sure if I can fumble anything out besides "Mmm-hm."

Mom sets herself down next to him. "How was your day dear?"

I take another loud chomp on the toast. Nagato takes his que. "Just the regular, we were late, there was a new student, and Konan had to fetch his desk." I nod, and pretend that I was meaning to say the same thing, Nagato changes the subject so I can regain my composure. "So how was your trip Kakuzu?"

That's the reason I'm more nervous then the usual. My mind wasn't in the slightest of preparation for a visit because he's been in the tropics for over a week. He probably dropped by to tell us he's back.

He's re-doing college to get his medical degree, and Mom's already making the preperations for him to be our new family doctor. Which means I'll always have insults to go with any future injuries, as Nagato puts it.

"All I did there was point out everything everyone was doing wrong." _Well, Kakuzu, that's all you __**ever**__ do_, I think lovingly. "For some reason they found that astonishing and wanted to name a couple antidotes after me." He grumbles on. Annoyed that not everyone else in the world is as fabulous as him.

When he was younger, Mom said everyone thought he would be a Banker since he's always been a greedy little penny-pincher. But it turned out he's also good at sewing people up. Go figure_. There's a creepy metaphor for that, somewhere_.

Kakuzu's just so cynical, he makes me feel suffocatingly childlike and clumsy. So I make half-baked wisecracks and try to do something that might impress or at least slow him down enough so I can feel better about myself.

"Well, only the best from you, right Mr. Itakura?" Mother tells him in her impressed voice.

Kakuzu's stopped saying 'If you say so.' a long time ago. So he just gruntingly nods and Mother continues small talk while I try and come up with something intelligent I would be able to say in any other situation but this one.

I've always had something good to say.

~'~ ~'~

"_I'll call you all next week,"_ He tells us once again once Mom's about to hang up.

"Love you Dad,"

Mom makes kissing noises into the phone before putting it back on the hook.

Kakuzu shrugs on his jacket. "I've got to get back, I was supposed to be writting a report this whole time."

"We haven't been holding you up have we?" Mom rushes over to fuss.

Kakuzu sighs. "_No,_ I usually wait until the last minute so that it feels more important."

Nagato chuckles, he's sitting on the stairs waiting for me, but I have to join Mom, because if I don't hug Kakuzu whenever he leaves I feel depressed.

When it's done Mom scuttles over to Nagato. "Do you want me to call your Mother to pick you up?"

"No, I'll call and tell her I'm spending the night." He coos. Hopping off the stairs and heading for the phone.

I trail up behind Mom. "Iluvunite." Blow a kiss and then up the stairs.

I make it through the halls and to my room, all light colors and pastels. I've already thrown my bag in the corner carelessly, much like it had been earlier today. Seeing this repetition I slide into the closet to change into pajamas and make sure my uniform isn't ruined again.

I exit with my pink-silk-teenage-princess PJ's and try to set my uniform neatly over my desk. I grab a notebook out of my bag and plop onto the bed, shortly after that Nagato returns.

"What do we do tommarrow?" I asked as he sat down on the bed. He sat pretzel legged and put his head on his hand.

"It's Friday. We could check all the clubs." He mused thoughtfully. "Maybe go to the arcade, or sit home and do work."

I sit up straighter. "Do you need anything for class?"

"I could review your History notes." I nod, going over to grab my bag. It's not that Nagato doesn't pay attention, he just likes to check, double-check, triple and quadruple check everything from multipul sources.

I hand him my note papers and he takes his own note pad to make extra extra notes.

"You misspelled _Phil-e-teet-is_." My eyes widen, I grab my own work and triple-check everything.

~'~ ~'~

Nagato's slumped down in the tousled sheets, snoozing like a baby. I'm drifting off to sleep but still concious enough to note the things around me-

It's almost one in the morning according to my old glow-in-the-dark Hello Kitty-clock. So I'm trying not to think so vividly. Focusing on how relaxing sleep is and how much fun Nagato's already having.

Tomarrow, Nagato and I'll bicker about health while we hopefully get to have a sit-down breakfast.

Dreading tomarrows Math class, I missed it today and I'm already behind. Nagato and I always just cram for make-up tests. I'm pretty good with numbers but Professor Hatake is such a sadist he twists everything to where you don't even believe your own sense of reality anymore.

Art is pretty strict and when you miss it you're expected to whip out some sort of masterpiece. All logic says we should have stopped taking it a long time ago. But Kushina's amazing, she's Nagato's aunt-

And I couldn't pay attention in Economics so I'll have to do some serious skimming to make up for that. And Forgien Arts is _always_ a bother.

Nagato makes another relaxing and squeaky snore noise. I grin tiredly and nuzzle into the pillow, begging for unconciousness to envelop.

Dogs howl outside. I'm almost snapped out of dozing when one suddenly whimpers, but quickly I've entered the confines of my mind and can remember nothing else.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 1.5**

_Coyote, it was a coyote. Not a family pet. Just a wandering coyote that could have very well devoured something else._

_But a fighting one,_ it's messier then I'd hoped for_. And the best companion for a puddle of blood at your feet is a lump of guilt in your throat._

I wait around to see if he might come. If he might smell the blood. But there's nothing. I have to move the animal to the woods and find a garbage can to dump it's contents and hide the stain on the pavement.

Sirens are in the distance. For a second I wonder if someone heard the animals cries, or if someone else I know had an even messier idea then mine. So I decide to rush home and make sure it's other occupants are still there.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 2**

I have to start up in bed and whip my head around. Nagato's barely awake so I lean over him gently to make-out what the clock says through the suns glare.

Nagato mumbles a few things about my carelessness but I've already sighed and rolled over. It's eight thirty and there's plenty of time to dress and eat.

I hear Nagato pushing himself up slowly, and he starts nudging me. "Konan, up to it."

I make loud, theatric moans as he rolls over and gets off the other side. He pulls down my covers and I yawn and stretch and wonder if I can think of something that'll get him to leave me alone.

But this wake-up timing is almost too perfect so after a while where Nagato goes up to my full-body mirror to check the wrinkles in his clothes, I sit up and look lazily around the room. I'm reminded that I'm truely in a room fit for a spoiled little girl and not the stotic, socially unwilling teen I am.

Nagato watches me get out of the bed and trudge over to my clothes. "And it's Friday?"

"Yup." He muses, pulling at his pantlegs to make them straighter. I hold my uniform out infront of me to see how tidy it is.

Nagato starts his feeble little stretches and I slip inside the closet to change. Wrestling around through the shirts I have hung up that I don't wear.

When I exit Nagato's already dragging our bags out of the room. I follow him slowly to the stairs before I actually take my own.

"Have you figured out where your English notes are?"

"_Yeeees._" I groan. Lifting the bag to my waist double checking- In my English textbook instead of in the front pocket I could've swore I'd shoved them.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, Mom trotted out of the kitchen. "Good morning~ how was your sleep?"

"Fine~" The usual procrastination insomnia when I want to sleep, need to sleep, but I can't.

We follow her into the kitchen, it feels less snooty to eat there at least for the mornings- but there's two dining rooms around the house. And sitting on a uncomfortable metal chair in a brightly colored kitchen keeps my ego low.

A couple times Nagato's gotten lost, but that's his fault for playfully deserting me and wandering through every room he's never seen.

Mom's tried to expand through it as I've gotten older, but giant, empty rooms can be very menacing to decorate.

She sets plates down infront of us filled with sausages, hashbrowns and scrambled eggs, all of which show signs they were cooked in the same pan.

Nagato sits and takes a breather and I try not to dig in hungrily, I've been told by Nagato, my parents, and a large assortment of family members and teachers that I eat like a obese man at breakfast. But it's because I don't have any fat supplied in my body to sustain me overnight.

So I nibble sausage until I think they're not paying attention and then shovel things in my mouth at random.

When Mom turns back to me and I slow down again- finally notice there's cheese bits in the sausage, hm, something worth savoring.

These are the things I spend my days thinking of. After school I'll go do an online college with Nagato, he wants to open a Cafe and I've been told I'm very buisness savvy, so we'll be stuck together from the time we're in diapers to the time we're in diapers _again._

Nagato's started eating himself, he conversates idly, "What about your newbie? are you going to try showing him today?" Something he forgot to pick at me about last night.

"Newbie?" Mom muses, setting her own plate down across from us.

"New boy in class Momma." I explain, taking another break in eye contact to shovel more food in my mouth.

"Did he just move here? what's his name?"

"Itachi Uchiha."

"His family moved here from _England._" Nagato whispers excitedly.

Mom perks up, interested. "Ohh, does he have an accent?"

I come out of my feeding frenzy daze, and think about it. "Actually, no, he doesn't."

Nagato talks first. "Maybe he wasn't born there ."

Mom's next. "Accents are picked up. His family probably travels for buisness." She theorizes.

I gobble my last sausage, and then get to finishing the hashbrowns. "I dunno. But I want to get around to showing him the school." I jabber faintly, noticing I'm lowering closer to the table with each bite.

Mom leans across the table to Nagato "Is he cute?"

"Yuh-huh." He replies. I nudge him half-heartedly while Mom giggles like she's a little schoolgirl again.

~'~ ~'~

This time Nagato and I make the bus. The only other kids from our class that ride this one are Hana Inuzuka, Sun-Yin Jueng our valedictorian, and Keiko Hiarshi, the girl who dyed her hair every unnatural color the convenience store had over the summer. Her and her parents are moving to Austria for really, really early retirement. Nagato made a going away present from both of us- it was a folder littered with a ton of old class pictures.

Nagato's going over his homework again and trying to recite anything that might help me with my Economics work, but I'm in my 'just another day' daze, so he keeps stopping to nudge and tickle me.

The school comes into view. Its a big gray square thing standing infront of two smaller versions that are the Elementry and Middleschools. The prestigious little preschool is a few miles down the road, and as I remember it, is actually stricter and scarier then the other schools. Nagato and I really bonded protecting eachother from mean teachers and dark corners.

I scared away the bullies and Nagato- well, Nagato squished the bugs. When I was little I believed all bugs were poisonous and out to get me.

And apparently squiggly worms and creepy-crawly spiders are the only things that don't make Nagato wet his pants.

The bus parks under the shading where Nagato and I file out neatly behind Sun-Yin and Keiko. Everyone heads for their classes and I stick tightly behind Nagato.

When we arrive in class 3-A, Professor Yashagoro is standing at his desk sifting through the contents of whatever he's going to lecture us about today, "Good morning class take your seats," He drones acidly. Sun-Yin goes to her seat in the front, I sit in my own, Nagato sits in his seat to my right and Keiko sits in hers infront of me.

Everyone else is likewise entering their seats. Gin Henshi rushes in the room last-minute so Professor Yashagoro finds no use in lecturing him. He takes his seat and trys to get hi-fives out of anyone sitting next to him but fails pitifully.

Itachi Uchiha is in his seat on my left sifting through his textbooks, Nagato is too- both probably trying to take guesses at what Yashagoro will hit us with.

"Open your textbooks and tell me what the chemicals explained on 46 and 78 will do together, Shiori, Uzumaki, and Uchiha will be experimenting with something completely different. Happy mixing."

He falls back in his chair and puts the textbook over his face. Nagato and I sit there fiddling until Nagato gets up the courage. "Um, and our supplies?"

"Hnoh, yes, one of you get the box out from under my desk." He says without so much as moving himself or his eyeshade.

After Nagato and I exchange looks Itachi raises his hand in volunteer. He gets up and walks briskly to the snoozing warlocks desk.

He returns with the box, setting it on his knee and handing us the tubes and cookers and the possibly dangerous neon-colored chemicals. He takes it to his own seat and puts the box under his desk.

Nagato's skimming his notes and however I can't pronounce the chemicals very well, he says that we need to measure everything perfectly to get it to fiz perfectly to the top, turn perfectly periwinkle, and it'll be perfect, but anything less then perfect and it'll bubble over, start popping, turn into a gothic rainbow and perminately stain the desk.

I take two different measuring cups and hold them side to side to make sure they're accurate. Down a few seats, Itachi seems to be doing the same, and scratching at a few of the lines. Either clearing them or moving them so there's a legit excuse if it boils over.

Nagato gives me the page number for the chemicals, I look over to him to see how well he's starting, then begin doing my own, So I carefully pour and measure the neon pink stuff- which is easy, since the exact amount I was given was the exact amount that I need.

Peeking over at Itachi, he's practically done, and waiting for it to do it's thing. I hear a clang, switching over to Nagato, he's spilt some, it's fallen onto a towel and as the chemicals start to combust Nagato scoops the towel, shoves it into the cup, and stacks his chemistry book onto the top.

Professor Yashagoro lazily lifts the textbook off his head. "Nice save Uzumaki, but too much compression and the glass will explode."

Nagato gets pure death pale. "Ko_naaaan_." I jump over and help him slowly lift the glass off the desk.

Itachi runs over and opens the window, Nagato and I shuffle and throw the glass outside.

Nagato's gasping as me and Itachi watch it fall down. Everyone else stands about shocked for a moment. Professor Yashagoro pulls out his cellphone.

"Shizune? Yes, can you connect me to the janitors phone? Thank you... Kabuto? there's some broken glass on the front sidewalk with some chemicals with it... Yes, there's likely a hole... Well I don't know fill it with _sawdust_ or something."

~'~ ~'~

When Nagato and I signed up for Practical Law, we weren't expecting it to be an advanced form of _Drama class._

"And what is it you told Sakuya when she found out about the affair?" Akame Obi, the prosecutor, asked.

"I told her we could work it out, I begged her- begged her not to leave me!" Wept our teacher, Ibiki Morino.

"OBJECTION!" Shouted the defense- Anko Miterashi.

"Anko! stop doing that!" The class president lectured her again.

"MY PIZZA!" Anko continued on.

But the prosecutor ignored her, like we usually do. "Then why did the doorman at the hotel across the street not see her leaving? in the bright red, fashionable coat she was wearing?"

"I- I don't know- she might have taken the fire escape-"

"The fire escape that led to the alley she was found in!?"

"I don't know!"

"Did she fall or did you just throw her out the window!?"

Ibiki stands up in his chair and pulls air out of his jacket. "I have a gun!"

"KYAAAAAH!" Akame dives under her makeshift stand.

"MY PIZZAAAAAAAA!" Anko jumps infront of Ibiki, faceplants onto the ground, and all is silent as Ibiki comes out of character.

"Well, Miterashi, I wanted you to jump infront of Akame so we could make sure you had a _soul,_ but I know I shouldn't expect as much." He grumbled to her unmoving body.

Itachi chuckles again, the play-up trials are both hilarious and somewhat educational. I wish he could've seen my favorite- last month I was the prosecutor and Ibiki was defense- Nagato was the accused serial killer and it went on so long Kagura couldn't make closing annoucements and all the club heads were walking by the door watching, it was perfect- Nagato started crying and did a maniac scream and everything- the big finish was when the jury decided and Kotetsu and Izumo played up being security and dragged him out into the hall kicking and screaming.

Everyone claps their hands for the latest trial and kids start going over to pry Anko off the floor. Nagato and I get our bags from the cabinets.

Kagura's standing at the head of the classroom, waiting for Anko to be removed so she can speak. "Alright everyone, so, um, I just got the sign-up sheets for the fall festival, if you have ideas for stands or want to help in any other way, come to me, and-"

"COMMANDER DATA! I OBJECT TO THE NOVEL! SALVAGE- SALVAGE!"

Anko is dragged down the hall.

"WHOOOOOPIIIIIII!"

Something tells me Ibiki's going be having another word with Anko's guardians about whether or not she's still taking her medication.

No, seriously, she was on Ridalin all through middleschool. Eventually they realized it was only making things worse, so they're trying her on over-the-counter sleeping pills now. _Which I think just make her delirious._

Nagato and I stay for a few more details on the festival, Nagato wants to make a food stand and I have a few ideas related to origami and other complicated things concerning paper. When I'm bored or stressed I just grab a sheet and fold fold fold~

As things die down we both start inching around our fellow classmates and towards the door, and evetually we make the break down the hall.

We jog childishly to the staircase, we pass Itachi and I stop short- "Hey Itachi, I have time today."

He contemplates for a moment. "I have an appointment today, what're you doing tomarrow?"

I search through my head. Saturday, probably sitting around outside with Nagato until mosquitos start eating us. So we're more then able to stop such activities to walk around the town. "You can stop by my house tomarrow, it's Ichiraku street number 4768, if I'm not in my Mom can call me and we'll meet up."

He smiled. "I'll be there tomarrow then." And then went ahead of us down the stairs.

Nagato scambered to my side. "What good tourist sights are there in Ame?" He whispered.

I think to myself. "Not many, there's the pond, that big loft, but between you and me, we could probably make pointless things seem interesting."

Nagato assumed a comical thinking pose. "Of course, I need to research special names for the algea in the pond." We cackle stupid laughs to ourselves before heading out.

~'~ ~'~

At the bus stop Nagato's Mom called him asking for a few groceries from the market. So we both got off the bus early. Because I believe if I don't excert myself a few times a week, my eating like a pig will explode into middle-age obseity, plus I want to be nearby if Nagato pulls his shoulder out of socket carrying the milk.

Spirit of the urge whips me, and once I seperate with Nagato I walk along and go inside a dessert shop. The cute little Hyuga girl wraps up some lollipops and sugar buns for me to take home, Nagato will devour half of it because sugar and caffine are the only things that can sustain him.

The sales girl bids me goodluck, because it looks like one of Ame's famous rainstorms is coming in and I never thought of an umbrella. I don't mind, really, at all- when you're born and grown in Ame tolerating rain is second to breathing. The worst I could worry about is that my uniform will need washed, but it's the weekend and Momma would demand it anyway.

I tie my bag tighter and remind myself how waterproof my backpack is before walking out from under the shops canopy. Within a few seconds the rain is coming down and I'm just walking around like it's hunky-dory.

A few people I pass have newspapers over their head and are running for cover, but my hair will be fine and it just seems like more of a effort to protect yourself then to just keep going.

It's picking up and I finally think to worry about lightening striking me, there's faint thunder, and if it's raining this hard now and the center of the storms still far away, I might have to start caring.

I think of Nagato, he's probably taken cover by now, before the wind starts up and blows him away. I could try doubling back and rejoining him but a look behind me shows the scenery around is entirely gray.

I sigh, and try and remember- metal conducts electricity so I can't sit on a bench, the shops all around me are closed for an early Friday, and the thing I need is rubber and if I remember right there's a special bench ahead a ways that's rubber-coated, made just for these kinds of situations.

So I have to keep trudging, and it's difficult because my clothes are soaked and now I can actually worry about my clothes being see-through. School uniforms are thick to prevent perversion but my stupid bra is blue and sometimes my chest is just damn humiliating and _dammit._

I find the bench and sit. It's already puddled and soaked into the wood sections but I'm in no position to mind. Thunder gets closer and I re-check my bag. It's lined with rubber, and should be nearly impossible- maybe I could sue the company if anything does get wet.

_Cough_

Someone's out there taking cover. I can't see two feet infront of me so I'm hardly even sure where. We probably look equally miserable.

_I'm_ not all that miserable but I'm sure I look it, sitting alone on a bench with bags and the scary stotic face I have all the time. Soaked to the very bone.

_Cough-gh-cough_

I run a hand through my hair, it feels like a wet washcloth, but it's so entirely wet it isn't even frizzed or tangled. I try not to touch my face because there's traces of eyeshadow still on my eyes and it's definately still there because I've showered in it and it still sticks. I just don't want to smudge it because I'll look beyond gothic-

_Cough-gh-hgn-cough-cough_

And I'm starting to worry about that poor guy out there, wherever he is he's just in extreme misery-

_Eh-CHOO_

And he's probably been there for a while and I'm starting to worry pretty thoroughly because he's really _hacking,_ and since this town is too small to have a rapist I get up and start searching around.

He's closer then I would have imagined, a few steps and there's a figure forming. Not even attempting to stay out of the rain- he's curled up leaning against one of the buildings just hanging out.

I get closer and realize he's must be a few years younger then me, clothes tattered up to all getout. He can't be from around here because it's not a uniform although school just let out.

He doesn't acknowledge me yet so I crouch down and check on him. His long blonde locks are scattered around, part of which is tied up on the top of his head. A yellow fringe hides most of his face but I'm guessing he's trying to ignore me.

"Hey kid, what're you doing out here?"

Blue eyes shoot up at me for a second but then they hide back in the shadows. "Go away." he sternly commands.

I have to roll my eyes momentarily. "Where're you from? I can walk you someplace-"

"_Ugh_." He grunts and bursts into a fit of animation. "Go, _away!"_

"I was just asking a question." I stubbornly stay put._ Poor guy._ "You're kind of miserable out here, do you want company?"

He goes from a full W-T-F look to just plain annoyance. Before he really looks at me. I'm keeping my arms on my knees to try and block my translucent clothes.

He can't be that young, maybe two years below me- "_How old are you?"_

He goes back to glaring. "None of your buisness!"

_Five_, considering the attitude. "Just talking. How about you talk back so I can stop asking you questions?"

He rolls his eyes, makes a dramatic sigh and slumps against the wall. _Very grumpy._

"Can you tell me why you're here?"

He continues to talk while glaring at me. "Walking."

"Where to?"

"... Nowhere."

I ease a sigh out my nose. Thunders getting closer and lightning is becoming visable. Wind will be picking up soon, and at this point I'm not letting him alone.

"Where's your house?"

I think he's growling, or it could be more thunder. "Fifteen bazillion miles away."

I blink. Hn. "Not homeless, are you_?_"

He could be growling but I'm distracted by lightning in the corner of my eye. "Hn. _Sure_, what of it?"

I sigh, loudly this time. "I could take you somewhere."

Finally he's had enough and he scoots up into sitting and leans into me. "Listen girly, I'm not going to no lousy youth house for disgusting bland meals, and bitchy counsling sessions- and I don't give a shit what happy words you have for me. Hn- I don't _care_, I don't give a _shit_, and if you say anything to anybody, I'll cut you. Hng- got it?"

To be honest, he's actually too cute and tiny to be scared of, although I do see the glintings of a knife at his belt now. I raise an eyebrow. "Okay, I get it, you hate your family and you don't like people. I just want to get you out of the rain."

He was most certainly growling, and he's readying to get up now and pounce me if I make him. His expression quickly changes again. "Wait, _how old are you?"_

I blink, once again. "I'm sixteen."

He falls back alittle. "Ah, you look older, hn."

"Can I have _your_ age now?"

"Noneofyourbuisness." He's back to sitting now, and neither of us are really acting like there's a rainstorm going on right now. Excluding having to raise voices alittle.

"Listen kid, I won't tell anyone you're here but I think you need some dry land to rest on." I try to explain. He's bordering on a pout now.

"I don't want you calling no cops on me-"

"Hey- chill buddy, you can stay at my house for a while then."

"Go away."

I bring my bag up. "I've got food."

His eyes sparkle a vivid blue at the same moment we're engulfed with the light from a nearby lightning strike. I lean down to grab his arm while he's distracted with drooling.

The wind is blowing so I can see better, there's a store across the street with the lights on, so I drag him over there.

It's Ichiraku Ramen, which reminds me that my house is about a mile up the road, but maybe after the lightening has passed.

There's another couple in here hiding out the rain and two other people, so Teuchi doesn't mind us at all. I set my companion down in a chair and sit down myself.

I sigh, and my new buddy whips his hair around, showering the poor saps nearby. In the light he's much dirtier then I could tell. But he's just adorabley childish and his attitude just makes me want to pinch his cheeks til' he bites me. _Because I'm partly sadistic and entirely girlish._

I put my bags on the table, and get his attention. "Sweetie, I've got nothing but candy, and I think that's the last thing _you_ need."

He pouts. "You talk like an _old lady_."

Well, yeah, but. "Uh-huh, but I can buy you some ramen and-"

_Uuuuurrrg- CRASH_

"MY RAMEN!"

In the window we can see into the kitchen, whose ceiling has just caved in. The kid smiles maliciously and grabs my bag. He digs in and pulls out a sugar bun.

Momma won't mind me inviting a homeless, bratty, possible deliquent to stay with us. She'll fuss and fondle him all day. Serve him cookies and allow him to roll in the warm blankets right out of the dryer.

I reach into my bag and take my cellphone, about to call Mom and tell her. The door flies open again and I snap my head towards it.

"Nagato!"

"Hi... Konan..." He pants, soaking wet, with soiled groceries.

~'~ ~'~

Nagato cleaned up in the Ichiraku bathroom and I helped Ayame dry the floor of our soggy tracks. Our little blonde newbie, as Nagato declared him when I told of the story in private, sat in his spot the whole time. And as I have noticed- took another sugar bun.

"Ohmmhnm. Ohmigawd this one has jelly in the middle." He muses to himself, hardly hiding the fact he stole it when I wasn't looking.

"He's like a little puppy!" Nagato giggles hystarically. As we stand in the corner, pretend we're not doing anything and figure out our plan of getting home-slash-caring for our little puppy.

We softly step over to his side, he's gnawing on the last reminants of the jelly middle. He glances at us. "Hng, whatchu doin?"

Nagato squirmed around me and plopped next to him. Nagato has a tendancy to be more charming then me due to his innocence, so I'm trusting him with information withdrawal.

I step carefully around the table to sit across from them. Nagato virtually snuggles up to him. "Where're you from? you sound almost europian."

He smashes the last edges into his mouth and just _noms._ Before answering Nagato. "I was raised in Germany, hng."

Nagato's eyes light up. We're getting info. "Wow- that's so cool! So, I'm guessing you guys don't really talk about Nazi's all the time?"

He flutters his eyes and props his head up. "Hng. Nah, they either ignore em' or make fun of em'."

Nagato giggles again. "You weren't born there?"

"Hn, born in a view states over."

Nagato hums happily and leans in. "I haven't asked your name yet-"

"Deidara."

I'm writting this all down on a notepad in my head. Trying to personally keep my presense down incase it breaks this spell.

Sweet name really, better then my rustic one or Nagato's unisex one. Plus Nagato's only viable nickname is _Naggy._ Which makes him cry everytime.

Dei-Dei is a good nickname. But maybe once he's less grumpy.

Nagato giggles to fill the silence between asking questions. I'm trying to pay attention to his behavior- slightly thrown off when he makes a long, cutesy little kid yawn. _Awwww_.

He's looking pretty exausted. And now that I'm guarding his sugar he's getting snappy again. He's kind of avoiding eye contact and just staring down at the little designs on the table.

A few people have already braved enough to venture outside. It's looking calmer, but if the wind gets indecisive and jerks a different way we'll have the eye of the storm on us again.

It might be enough to make it to home. I look at Nagato, his eyes meet mine, we make small, telepathic conversation.

"Where're you gonna be staying Deidara?" He asks, still with an eye on me.

Dei-Dei brings a finger up. "Apparently, _she_ wants me."

I blink like I really have just been sitting here, dumbly staring at them this whole time.

"Cool! We can do that." Nagato acts like I'm the town awesome-chick. Which as far as he cares, I really am. But the real one is probably Keiko Hiarshi or Ayumi Sashimo, from our class at least. Or someone else... I don't know any other girls from outside our class.

Who's popular in our school again?

Nagato's sitting up and looking around the outside at all angles, "It's pretty safe now, as safe as it'll be anytime soon anyway." He's making sure to address Deidara the whole while and virtually ignore me. "Her house is about a block away, d'you feel like it?"

"Hnng." He grunts, and sits up.

I slowly pick up our things, getting ready to follow them out. Nagato carefully steps across the wet floor, making it the the door.

Before we catch up to him, Dei-Dei leans over to me. "Is he gay or just giddy?"

I violently shake my head, _nope._

When we got old enough that other kids started learning the word gay, he was called such all the time. And he announced a fake crush on Akame Obi to make them stop. Before eventually, after many adventures of Akame unthinkingly flirting with him, he cornered me by the lockers and went on a very long rant on why him of all people had to be bugged for being a happy person when obviously _I'm_ more liable to be a lesbian...

That was the only time I ever hit Nagato...

_So what if I was a shy little tomboy when I was nine. Better then pregnant._

But irrelevent- we follow Naggy out.

~'~ ~'~

Our puppy seemed perfectly fine with just casually walking down the street in the pouring rain to my house. Except that he stuck unusually close to me- he needed me to lead him but wanted to be in front. Severe dominance issues for a twerp who's shorter then me.

He's wearing heeled boots but I can do the math. Nagato still trumps both of us though.

We were heading up the steps when Mom met us with an umbrella. She threw a coat around me and then immidiantly started giggling over Deidara. Who thankfully- hasn't snapped at her yet.

So, now that we've got all our info out, Mom's insisted him to stay with us as long as he wants, and she's strewn out delectible snackfoods for us to have. Nagato and I can _relax._

So, we're treating Deidara like a little puppy.

Nagato inhales a marshmellow before throwing one at him. "Catch!"

Deidara snatches it out of the air and inhales it himself. And something about the way he's chomping it is like a little dog.

I'm chomping up baby mints, though. Enough to make my teeth rot.

Mom's put in an Aqua CD. Because that's what she considers a fun atmosphere. She keeps dotting him, he's allowed to sleep in whichever guestroom he feels like, considering his luggage consists of a empty sack and that machete that was strapped to his waist that he's already hidden away somewhere else.

The only bonus information Nagato's gotten out of him is that he really is only fifteen, he has a sister back in what I can only think to discribe as home, and that he hates the goverment. Hm, nice.

When _I_ was fifteen my Mom decided she wanted to try and throw me into a beauty competition. I won, because all the blondes were menstrating and Nagato advertised for all of the kids in our class to vote for me. I'm still trying to escape the title of 'Ame's Rainbow Princess'

And Deidara keeps being impulsively bitchy like those runner-up blondes but I'm pretty sure menstrating isn't _his_ problem.

Nagato tries to make more meaningless smalltalk until it gets time for us to be tired. "Okay, how about this- what're you doing in town?" He blabbers to Deidara, leaning forward and dropping another chocolate-coated pretzel in his mouth every two words.

"Hnng." Which might just be Deidara's polite version of saying 'Not fucking telling you' as opposed to the other version- 'GTFO or I'll cut off your twat'

Nagato doesn't allow himself to be phased but also pushes just enough to continue the charade of 'No, we're not digging for info. We're just asking random questions'. Nagato's already called insisted he stay over again.

When most of the bowls have been clearly ravaged or even totally empty, Mom comes in and hands out some warm cider to calm our stomaches.

And, with such irony. "Deidara honey, I've never learned what you're in town for!" She cluelessly, giddily questions. I swear she really does have a thought process, I think she just plays perky to get her way.

_I think._

Deidara's been playing it pretty nonchalant and collected save for some giggle fits and grumpy outbursts. Now he's nearing towards solem, apparently without the heart to flare off on my loving Momma.

"Looking for something." Spits out after a minute. "I lost it."

"Is it really all the way out here?" She asked him innocently.

"Hn-hnm." He sipped his drink again, not looking at her through all of this. Just a wide, blank expression at the coffee table.

"Do you have relatives up here?"

"An uncle, he's a while away." Another sip. "I don't want to bother him anyway."

The glinting in his eye is just shouting really loud _lie lie lie!_ But Nagato's looking away from the obsenity and Mom's either unnoticing or at least too darling to face him with it.

"Well, you can ask me for anything you need. No hesitation." She smiled sweetly to him before bussling back into the kitchen.

I grab a chocolate cookie and stuff my face to compensate for some silence that follows. Nagato's making various joyus babybabble to act like he's talking without saying anything.

But Dei's not making any sign of change, and then in the kitchen, I hear a phone ring. After a moment and it stops, Mom calls out.

"Konan! Neaja's on the phone!"

_Neaja's on the phone_ is codeword for 'I need to talk to you privately'. And it isn't really used often, considering the only person I ever have over is Nagato, and not only does he already know what it means but there's nothing I don't concern with him first.

So I hop up and nod politely to Deidara who either doesn't suspect anything or is pretending not to, yeah, really hoping he's an idiot right now- I get to the kitchen.

"Yes?"

"Honey is your little friend okay?" She coos, oh so worriedly.

I shrug. "Kind of. I don't really know what he's doing. But he's kind of homeless." I look up at her, doing the 'this is _serious_' face. She understands. "I promised I wouldn't call anybody, and I think the main thing right now is that we give him a roof over his head. Okay?"

She sighs. "Oh of course dear, I don't mind at all." She flutters her hands and gets giddy. "He's such a cutesy little boy though isn't he? I just want to pinch him!"

I nod, tiredly. My Mom's a pedophile-cougar, _gaaaaawd._ "Alright, is that okay then Momma?"

She nods. "Lesee, don't pick at him, don't ask him anything, don't throw him out. Just take resposiblity!"

I try not to remember Nagato's puppy name and nod, clenching my mouth shut to keep from giggling. She waves me off, and I hit the phone on the way out to make the sound of it hanging up.

I've returned and both boys are ignoring me. One, because he's a possibley wanted and stotic-but-bitchy-in-a-weird-way and the other because he's pretending not to notice that.

"Neaja says hi Nagato."

"Okie." He muses.

I sit down and Deidara sets his cup down in union. "What'd your Mom say?"

Hm, too smart. Damn. But, well- I'm not one to lie- "She said you look like a puppy."

If Deidara _was_ a puppy, his ears would twitch and then go flat. He's silent again and Nagato starts laughing.

So I focus on the joy coming from Nagato's hilarity, and not the worry of what I'm going to _do _with our little puppy. Hmm, can't let him run away, don't want to put him to sleep, and I don't think he wants to be neutered.

~'~ ~'~

"I think we should keep him!" Nagato glee-whispers next to me, cuddled up in my fluffy blankets more tightly then I am.

I grin, before yawning, and thinking about that. "And what'll that do?"

"We could raise him as our own!" I give him a much different _'srisly' _look and he grins back. "Maybe we won't have to take those plastic baby assignments ever again."

That plastic baby was annoying and realistic, the problem was that Nagato had fun taking care of it, and neither of us had a problem with waking up every hour. So Steve Wilkos would _not_ like us if we were the only ones to not throw the baby around. But I'm sure a real baby would be more wiggily and harder to hold.

The problem is- "Deidara talks back."

_Now _he pouts. "Yeah, that might be a problem." He ponders for a moment. "Maaaaaybe-... Uhm... Hey I just really like him."

"You like _everybody_."

"Yeah but Dei's _charming._"

"In a 'he's such an ass' sense?"

"You think _everybodies_ an ass."

"Except you!"

"I'm weird."

I wack the largest lump of blankets on his back and he recoils inside the ball of puff. I'm about to bodyslam him when the door knocks. "Yeah?"

"Ey," The no-worded, grunty reply says it's Deidara.

So I roll out of the bed and stagger to my door. I open it- he's discarded his belt and his hair is more tossled then before, and he's dragging a blanket with him.

"You guys don't fuck do you?"

I shake my head. "No, we're pretty prudey."

He nods. "Good, cuz my rooms old and musty and freezing. Hng."

Well, probably, their main purpose until now was gathering dust while still looking pretty. "You can squeeze onto my bed, but Nagato's a blanket hog, and I kick."

He tiredly looks behind me, before coming in. He stops at the bed, and then briskly shoves Nagato off and jumps on himself.

Nagato yelps before trying to wrestle out, only his hand can find a hole. "Trapped! Help! Lack of oxygen!"

I laughingly rush over and pull him out. After gasping, he jumps up on the bed, where him and Dei wrestle around for a while.

I reclaim my covers and curl into a simular ball as Nagato at the foot of the bed. "Goodnight!"

"Hey!" Nagato tries to take the covers back while Deidara kicks us both and curls into the middle of the bed. We've both left Nagato loveless and alone. "You guys are mean!"

Eventually I'll share the covers with Nagato and Deidara will shift into a more workable position. But until then Nagato whines about his woes while me and Deidara giggle into delirium.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 2.5**

It starts to rain, this would normally hinder my investigation attempts.

_But a selfish feeling in my heart says- oh __**yes.**__ This may leave fake leads and give me false hope and distract me from the very real idea that __**he, is, gone.**_

I've found traces that _he was here._ I just have to keep searching. Keep looking _god why does he keep __**doing this to me!?**_

I can't blame him._ I should._ I can't stop him. _I could._ I can't tell him it'll be different. _I would, but it would be a lie._

_Dammit._

The rain is too hard. I have to abandon it for today. _I could keep going, but I've lost hope __**no I haven't yes I have.**_

_BAM_

I didn't mean to do that. _Shit._

The crack in the wall spiders out into a_ grisly_ perfect indent. That was an accident. _I need to measure my reality better._

We all go through life limited by our own knowledge and awareness. _We call this reality._ But in this, one reality could be someone's fantasy. A fantasy could be someone's reality.

_Calm myself down. It's not like there's anything else to do._

So I can take _vain, silly, pointless_ comfort that maybe in some reality, _Sasuke's okay._ In some reality, be might still be here. In _some reality._ And- in another, he's probably in much deeper _shit_ and probably acting even more like an idiot then usual.

_I know there's something wrong with me, but it's freightening if this is the kind of thing I take comfort in._

"Itachi." I look up. This is strangely familiar. It's happened before, I'm sure. In some century or another. _In some other reality, maybe._

I've been wandering for much longer then I can remember processing._ Last night wasn't enough. I'm __**starving.**__ But if every other sense of sanity is gone, I can still hold onto a moral._

He's gotten closer to me _god it makes me sick._ "Any luck." It's not even a question _he says it to act like he cares but he doesn't doesn't __**DOESN'T**_.

"I know he's here." Too livid with his presense to take comfort in that. "There's a trail coming in but none coming out."_ Thank god Sasuke's so careless._

I know there's a part of me that urges to find more and more things to be angry with him about, but logic left in my mind is only arguing whether his reaction is stoticly glad or stoicly upset. "Well that's good enough for now."

_Goodenoughit'snotgoodenough- GOD make this noise stop!_

"Are you coming home?"

_Home is where the heart is._

_My home is nowhere near you._

_It's with __**him.**_

"Yes, I'm coming."

I feel him nod, do something, give some form of understanding. _I refuse to look at him._

_If you cared you would help look with me._

"Hurry up then. Your Mother's out. She'll be back in the morning."

...

He's gone.

I don't want to go home anymore. But there's nothing else to do.

_I've. Looked. Everywhere._

Maybe I haven't.

It's dizzy. I haven't felt like this in a while. Not even the last time he did this. There's just a terrible forboding, ominous feeling.

I've felt it before- nothing bad's happened those times-

Wait... _Shit._

But nothing harmful-_ even though this feels worse then it's ever __**dammit.**_

...

How long have I been standing here?

Sun's not up yet._ I need to change clothes, get into a persona that's anywhere near sane, go home. Don't want to go home._

_That glint._

Surely not the purpose of the forboding feeling. However it might be a part of it.

I've willed myself to pick it up. Silver switchblade- familiar markings, familiar type, familiar initials on the bottom.

_Damn, __**he's**__ here too, already._

It's fairly clean, it hasn't been here long at all. _Damn._

I pocket it. _Well, he's not anywhere near a threat. Might even help in the long run._

_Cause one of those quirky little commotions._

_Might even cheer me up._

_..._

_If I'm finding fun in Deidara's inevitable anguish I'm a fucking __**monster.**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 3**

Nagato's glugging orange juice, puppy-Dei is upstairs doing something. Chewing shoes or such.

Mom's rushing to set everything out. "I have to go into town, might be a while-"

"We can do it Momma." Nagato's restless on weekends anyway, and has to re-get his groceries. "You stay here and keep Dei company."

When we'd all gotten tired enough that we stopped moving and Deidara didn't remember he was a bitcher, he mumbled about liking Momma. Because she's perky and affectionate and just really sweet.

And so Momma sighs. "Really honey? thank you."

Nagato's chomping more- I've already hogged my plate down. Hn.

Thundering, quick steps and then a yellow blob shoots into the room. "I want somethin'."

Mom squees giddily. "There's eggs and sausage and some toast and some orange juice and milk-"

Mom keeps talking while Deidara's already grabbed the plate and is inhaling all the things she's named off.

Nagato and I telepathicly exchange comments on this while Deidara gags on something, moves it around in his mouth, and then swallows it again. Then he leans forward and takes another sausage off a plate.

~'~ ~'~

When Nagato and I were nine, we dressed up as a dog and monkey and chased people around town. When school started again, we wrote a paper about it. And both got A+++

Just another example of our extraordinary luck.

We have always been _pretty dang_ lucky with just about anything. Well, besides Nagato's health and my-... um... well I consider it unlucky when obnoxious people talk to me, but I don't count my own viewpoint as logical.

But it's the little things like when a car buzzes by and splashes the area behind us, or when something falls down, it falls straight between us. And if we _are_ in trouble, someone comes in the heroic knick of time and we're perfectly fine. Near-death experiance aside.

I think of this when Nagato and I shove eachother over whether to walk under the ladder propped against Ichiraku. When he breezes under it, he doesn't touch anything, but the box of sharp tools falls right in the spot he just was. He giggles nervously, I re-fill the tool box and set it on the ladder.

I think about it again when the building ahead of us, that we would have been infront of if we'd kept walking, has several large, stone bricks fall off the top.

Nagato praises God, and we walk around, keeping an eye out some more.

We get the groceries Nagato's Mom couldn't get last night- _'Yea- sorry Mom- they were all ruined- hey can I stay at Konan's again tonight?'_ Hmm, he just wanted to play with the new puppy.

And I got Mom's groceries, which consisted of lots and lots of spices. Because she puts alittle bit of everything in everything. It isn't always terrible. Salty, sometimes. But-

I love her...

So then Nagato and I take our change and stop for some icecream~

"What do we do at school on Monday?" He babbles through his peanut-nutty-chocolate-caramel-sweet-bucket cone. _You'd think we'd be sick after pigging on sugar candies all day yesterday but~_

"I don't want to think about school." School makes me think of Yashagoro, everytime. And I don't like thinking about those yellow snake eyes when it's the weekend and I'm eating icecream. "What about the puppy?" Which is more of a codename, not that he's standing behind us or anything.

"Nnnh~ Let him decide himself. I don't think there's any way we could change his mind otherwise." Yeah, that's the reality. We keep acting like we're deciding who we should arrange his marriage with when it's pretty obvious our opinion/ideas/convincing don't matter.

"What's a fifteen year old doing alone way out here?" Ame is pretty isolated. There's lots of woods surrounding the town, then there's swamps, and depending which direction you go, you might come out at the ocean. The nearest civilization is Konoha's capital, which is 45% tourism. With the highest population and best- well, everything. Me and my parents vacationed there when I was seven and I swear to god I will never find nicer people, sweeter food, or funner surroundings again.

Meanwhile, Nagato's still deliberating. If he wasn't a poor little kid we'd be coming up with silly stories of how he got here. But alas- "Maaaaaybe... looking for a deadbeat dad?"

Plausible. "Running away?"

"That seeming like the origin of every senario." Okay, funny stories might just make it. "Maybe he got kicked out of school and doesn't want to go home."

"On the run?"

"Maybe he was framed for an act of terrorisim and can't go home."

"Maybe he _did_ commit an act of terrorisim and is now a fledgling serial killer. Trying to kill my Momma right now."

Nagato facepalms. "No! What about my dog?!" Giggling, I wipe my face while Nagato points out."Dripping, Ko. Lots of dripping."

I switch hands and lick the cone and my hand and the trail I somehow _did not_ notice going down my arm.

Nagato goes on with the mercilous theroies. "Maybe he ran from a cult."

Slirping away the last bit of sticky, I ponder such. "A pedo-girls cult. Might explain why he's so pretty."

"You noticed too?"

"Hnm~" Hard not to. Very blue eyes and a kiddy face. It's endearing, and the reason I call him puppy and not dickhead.

I peek around, lots of kids and families and little couples getting treats too. There's mencing puddles everywhere, but the sunny skies assure everyone that was just a one-day hellstorm.

Nagato leans across to me and licks up another forming drip on my cone. "You're not doing too good."

"Hn! then stop talking to me!" He laughs at me while I try and make up for all the licks I've been missing.

Nagato decides to continue- "Maybe he's a boy that was raised as a girl so his parents could make him marry the neighbouring king and they could get the land."

"Stop reading Rose of Versailes until your brain bleeds."

He chuckles at that. "What? It's a good _story!~"_

He leaves me alone until I can gobble the ice cream down far enough beyond melting level. Which is causing brain freeze, actually. My sudden hault and clutching of my head makes him _laugh at me again!_

I take my chance to shove his ice cream into his face to which he then starts feebily, unsteadily wacking at me.

~'~ ~'~

We spotted Kagura and Akame around the corner, trying to get a head-start for that festival and were making some mini-booths for the always assured last-minute entries. Kagura's extremely forward-thinking and Akame likes to do anything that boosts her reputation.

We helped them load the things into a big truck, which actually included alot of Nagato standing off to the side wheezing while us girls splintered our hands and pulled out muscles. And since Kagura has no upper body strength and Akame's a girly spazz, _actually _included alot of me doing it all by myself.

I have things- for once- to do today, and of course that's the day I end up being busy. That's what happens, every time.

"You okay Konan?" Kagura asks meekly. I pantingly nod, since- well, it's not like I'm going to _die._ Unless I have some kind of giant heart murmur, my heart may explode and- well... Logic says it wouldn't be gory but according to Nagato I'm sort of morbid.

A tinkling laughter. I don't have to look up- I can regonize it as Nagato's Mom. She's trotting over to us. "You're all getting your work-out in!"

"Hello Missus Uzumaki~" Kagura and Akame sweetly chime. I mumble a hello, unsteady, unbreathingly, ow. My lungs.

"Naga, do you have everything?" She went over to her son, taking the groceries he'd had to get a second time. "Good good- good. Perfect!"

Nagato talks to his Mom for a while. Kagura and Akame say their own goodbyes and go off to deliver the stands. I beg them, _beg,_ for them to be careful with unloading. Because I'm picturing them all falling off the truck and exploding.

It's getting later then I thought- wait, what time is it? way too late if the sky is starting to look like _that._

"And you'll be home for dinner tonight?" Nagato's mom checks as she gets ready to go.

"Yea~" He coos to her. Swaying my own groceries idly.

"Well don't be too late." She kisses and they do the cutesy Iluvu's and she hugs me before she leaves.

Nagato then joins me. "You okay muscles?"

"Yeaaaah." I drone, tired, achey, ow.

But I suck it up and try and stretch the pain away. Which doesn't really help but gives me the motivation to grit my teeth more.

"What now?" He asks all innocent and healthy.

I look up at the oranging sky again. "How long does it really take us to walk to home? I don't know how it got so late."

He looks up too. "Hnm, maybe it went by because you were having so much fun."

Yeah, ha, sweet. I punch his shoulder, which'll probably leave a nasty bruise, but.

"Want to get going then?" He asks, on the last word of that I feel the vibration, quickly followed by the tinkling musical notes of my phone.

I take it out, Mom's the only one that would call me. And it's her, I press enter. "Hello?"

"_Heeeeey honey~" _ She coos, there's something weird in that voice.

"Hey Mom, what is it?"

"_Konan?_" She spoke through the static, there's alot of background noise, and that voice sounds disturbingly concerned.

I take a peek at Nagato, he's blinking innocently waiting for me to give him hints. "Yeah Momma?"

"_Have you started dating?"_ The fact that my Mom seriously just asked me that scared the hell out of me, wondering if she _really believes_ I'm secretly a teenage whore. And then followed by wondering who's spreading rumors about me now. Akame promised she'd stop.

"Noooooo," I moan slightly after those few moments of terrified silence. "Whhhhhy?"

"_Well there's two boys here and I think they're fighting over you_." She explained, I blinked. Stared straight at Nagato, who returned the gaze and cocked his head silently asking what was going on.

Men, at my house. What men do I know? My Dad, Nagato, Nagato's Dad, my male teachers, Kakuzu, Deidara, Itachi... Wait-

_'Hey- chill buddy, you can stay at my house for a while then.'_

_'I'll be there tomarrow then.'_

Oh God.

"Um, Mom, _what_ are they fighting about?"

"_They really just keep calling eachother names and throwing things. Can I ask them to get out? I don't want them to break the china display_."

"Get them in the backyard Momma, I'll be home as soon as possible." She says alright and I snap the phone shut. And look at Nagato.

"What's happening?" He asks, already reading my expression of disbelief.

I stay moderately silent, mumbling only a few unintelligent words, eventually realizing _I don't really know what's happening._

"Home." I mumble as clear as possible, he perks up. "Now."

~'~ ~'~

We by some stroke of _our extraordinary_ luck, caught a bus that let us off just close enough to the house so that there wasn't that much of a dread for having to, well, run. Which neither of us were in the ability to do.

Climbing the stairs, I catch sight of that pesky town stray again. It has another kitty with it. A little black kitten, looking equally mischivous, only in a less mencing and more innocently sadistic way.

So I try and ignore that while we keep going up the steps... Up and up and up and up.

We reach over the final step, and there's my big, meany old house. Which seems extra looming today.

And it's pretty empty-looking, right now. I don't see anything going on. Nothing exploding, at least. Probably not as bad as it seemed over the phone.

We walk, slowly, cautiously, up to the door. Standing infront of it, I grab and squeeze Nagato's hand.

"Whatever happens." I comicly drone, Nagato squeezes back, trying not to grin. "You're my main man, and truth never gets tied up."

"Yup." He yurps. We both squeeze again, gently let go, and try and psychicly count down to whenever we want to go inside.

There's a rustling in the bush, I shut my eyes. _If it's a mountain lion- I could use that to distract everybody._

But alas, when I open my eyes, Mom walks around the house. "I couldn't get them in the backyard. So I came back here." Nagato and I watch her, looking for dread or any type of battlewound. She leans forward, trying to break the tension "The other boy in there is really cute too~"

I blink. Then I hear erupt thumping and screaming inside. _Dammit._

Momma blinks herself. "I'll go in the back and hide in one of the sitting rooms."

"Okay." I mumble. She comes over and takes the groceries from me.

Hopefully, the boys will calm down once a poor little girl enters the fray, hopefully. Considering I have no idea what-the-_fuck_ else I could do.

Nagato's hands cover his mouth and he's giving me the look of- 'Omigawdomigawdomigawd'

I grab his arm and pull him along with me. Deep breath- readying- open the door.

... Nothing.

There's commotion, but none infront of the door. Something's clunking upstairs.

"Deeeeeei?" I call, looking around. Eyeing the stairs with mild dread. "Helloooooo?"

"KONAN!" Comes back the screeching voice of our rabid _puppy._ I hear him stomping upstairs. "Konan get up here and help me with this!"

Help with what? buring a body? I roll my eyes. Yeah, Deidara's a bigger spazz then I thought. _Why_ he's spazzing though-

I trot up the stairs and Nagato follows me. Flanking silently. I can hear Deidara making the commotion in the room nearest the staircase on my left-

I enter the door, Deidara appers to be raping one of the ten TV's we own. "Help me with this!"

"Why?" I mumbled.

He flips his head up, hair flapping around like he's in some kind of hot volumizing shampoo commercial. "So I can drop it on that fucktards _head._" Not talking like you would in a commercial.

I blink. "Who?"

"ITACHI!" He screeches, I kind of knew that but I was hoping he didn't really know who he was.

I blink again, softly. Trying to channel Mom's level of sacchrine. "And how do you know Itachi?"

"_That fucktard burned my house down!_" ...What? "He's a monster- a fucking _monster!_ my godparents died because of him!"

Nagato tugs at the back of my shirt. I blink, slowly. _Slowly._ "Are- are you sure?"

"Yes I'm fucking _sure!_" He's given up on the TV and has begun animatedly pacing around the room. "Are you an idiot- hng- he's fucking _crazy-_" _No offense Deidara but- _"- he's a _demon- _he's a _bastard-_ he's- I don't even care I mean he got me out of school forever and those parent's _sucked-_" He stops and glares me down. "But he destroyed my _life _and he crippled my little _sister!_ now he's fucking- GAH! hng-" He goes for the TV again. "Help me get this!"

Nagato looks at me. I look back. Uhhhh.

It sinks in of what he just said. I tap Nagato- silently asking him to stay here and watch Deidara- And I turn to go down the stairs-

_That wasn't real there, right?_ My head can't process it clearly- I reach the stairs and notice Itachi at the bottom.

He's resting his head on the railing and watching me come down. My heads too blank to register anything else. "What was that about?" I breath out when I get to him.

He straightens and hesitates before trying to sputter out- "Well- he's just-"

"YOU!" Deidara _screeches_ again at the top of the stairs. Itachi has to jump back because Deidara jumps on and grinds down the railing.

He then jumps off and starts yelling at Itachi again and I think it's that last stunt that really shatters any expected perceptions for this and makes me think- _Okay, lets pretend there's no such thing as logic here._

But that sinks it in. Itachi's- _supposedly-_ done something- something _really_ bad here, and Deidara's not just a spazzing little kid and Nagato's processing all this too as he just awkwardly sits down onto the steps, ready to watch how this plays out, and not have anything to do with it.

_I would ask him for help right now but logic says he can't do anything either- wait, right, logic doesn't exsist right now-_

Deidara's pacing-slash-screaming again and he passes me which makes me look up. I notice the knifes practically hilt-deep into the door. Yeah- didn't notice those before. That might've been the thumping sound.

I catch the end of Deidara asking Itachi what he's doing here- but he quickly moves on to a different topic before Itachi can answer- not that Itachi's probably had a chance to talk at all. He's just kind of standing in the middle of the room, watching Deidara.

When I look at him we lock eyes and he quickly looks away, not a good sign.

Deidara's moved on to reason-why-he's-pissed-number-15- "and just- GAUGH! Dammit! I've fucking scouted this place ten times how'd I not _find you!?_"

"Deidara- please-"

"No _please!" _Deidara spouted. "I'm done with _pleases!_ I hate _pleases!_" He kicks the wall, some grunting screeches, and continues- "And you won't even say anything to me- _dammit-_ god- hng- your brother ran off again, huh? didn't he- _again?_"

Brother? I look to Itachi again, he's watching the floor now.

"That's why you're _ignoring me!" _He jumps forward about three feet, snapping Itachi and me out of our dazes.

Deidara digs into his pockets- _don't tell me he has more __**knifes?**_ So I take a stab- _hng-_ at being _productive_ and grab his shoulders-

"Hey- Dei- how about we take a breather?" That obviously won't work but-

"_NO!_" No need to analogy that. "Do you not know what he _is!?_ Konan just-just-just-" He stomps around the room and I try to follow him. "GAH! _Dammit!"_

I look at Itachi again- _what is that- dread?_- And back at Deidara. "Okay Deidara, breath for a minute- explain to me."

Suddenly he stops dead, twirls around at me, cocking his head bewildered at me. "You don't know what he _is?_" He growls out. "You don't know the fucking demonic, ancient, cliche _creature_ he really is-"

"Deidara." Who said that? it didn't quite sound like Itachi. It was like a dark, older, demonic, ancient version of him.

Something radiating off of him. Giving off a fever and making me dizzy. Deidara starts again.

"You're a _monster._" He growls in a otherworldly voice all his own. "You're a shribbled, evil, blood-sucking _mons-_"

I _shriek,_ when I register that Itachi throws something. It goes nowhere near me, and actually hits the wall next to Deidara's head, the new knife stuck in the wall. I was just about to rush over until I saw _that look._

Deidara's face goes from shock to fear to utter rage once again, before he whips around, and bolts upstairs. Nagato, who actually seems relatively calm, follows him up there.

Silent good lucks to Nagato along with worry for Deidara before I turn around. The door slams- he's left-

_I can't let him leave like __**this!**_

- that runs through my head. I really, really don't want him to leave. There's something way deeper then this. _I'm kind of ignoring but still understanding of what Deidara said._

I go out after him- which, he hasn't left, really, it's like he's deciding whether to leave.

"What was that?" I spout out. Considering that's the only thing I can register right now.

He looks back at me. He still looks different, something different. But he calms. "It's-" He stops.

...Somethings churning in his head-_ he's trying to decide something-_ now his looks just getting painful and I kind of can't handle him looking like that. That's just how I am. I don't enjoy anyone going through that kind of pain.

"I can't-" Something shivers through him, he grits through it- _he tries to bolt-_

"Wait!" He zipped away so fast- but then he stopped. _Human's don't move like that- Deidara wasn't exaggerating._

I feel like I'm supposed to be terrified, but I'm not, I'm actually desperate to be near him right now. He's perched ontop of a stone. Any other person might see a _predator_, but I'm just seeing _Itachi_.

"What are you?" I mumble out. _He shouldn't be able to have heard that._

I can't see him, he's in shadows, but his voice drifts over. "Take a guess." it was. "Deidara was fairly accurate. Demonic, ancient, monster." _A pause. A painful pause._ "The keyword is bloodsucking. And I shouldn't be telling you any of this but I'm too dizzy with _angst_ right now to stomach lying to another person like you."

I want to get close to him, but after a certain point, he flinches the closer I get. So I stand here, a foot and a half away, staring at his silloette on the bushes.

Claimings of it all going to be okay sound stupid now. I try and think of something intelligent, something to ease into it."...Did you really kill Deidara's parents?"

There's silence for a few moments, just long enough for me to wonder if he'll answer. "My father and brother took his parents. Deidara was meant to be mine." He explained. "My mother had his sister, but when she realized she was just a child, she left."

_'took his parents.' 'meant to be mine' _ Words don't need to explain that. _Who would want to?_ I glance down at my hands. They're doing the nervous folding motions that happen when I'm nervous. Folding imaginary cranes for luck.

But I still keep watching him, waiting for him to vanish into thin air now. "Why is he after you then?"

He's silent for a few more moments. "I told him I'd chosen the house."

I'm not sure how he could talk to Deidara long enough to be able to get that through. "Who reallydid?"

"My brother."

"What happened to your brother?"

_I think that motion was a shrug. _"I don't know. He dissapears every... once and a while." His voice tapers off. _Don't know how to react to that._

"... You didn't even go after Deidara." I breathed. Itachi isn't a monster at all. He isn't a bloodthirsty creature from old horror movies. _He's a friend, _that's all. "...I want you to come back inside."

His head turns to me. "I want you to know more about me before you ask that." My head stumbles for a moment. "Let me just get this one thing from you, ask me any questions you have before we head any farther together."

I watch him, I still can't make anything out. My eyes haven't adjusted yet. "What's it for you to... uhm..."

"Feed? drink? bite?"

"Yeah."

I hear him smile because he does it loudly, with a sorrowful chuckle. "It's the only time we feel like our hearts are beating."

I feel like I'm prying, but he's just begged me to ask everything, and I'll feel just as guilty if not more if I disobey that. I look through every _vampire_ cliche I can think of. "Can you stop once you start?"

He turns his head just so. He seems relaxed and uncomfortable at the same time. "Depends on how you train yourself. One might drink uncontrolably for hours. But I can stop easily." He moves again, more like a weave. "But I have a moral to. People who don't have reason to will keep going."

I took a breath, immidiantly worrying it might pass as fear, I nod enthusiasticly. That felt stupid. "And, um, then what?"

He'll move each sentance, like he's looking for things to do. "They have to burn the bodies or else they'll become like us."

"How?"

"A person will only turn if their body is clean of blood. Otherwise no matter the balance the blood will dillute the _venom_." He explains cleanly. "If they turn, and you don't take them under your wing to teach them the ways, there are clean-up types that get rid of them so they don't screw up or expose themselves." _I don't want to ask him the entire history right yet._

I nod, looking to the basics now. "You're immortal?"

"Yes, we must die of forced means."

"Like what?"

"If we starve ourselves, we'll become weak, and it would be easy to do us off. We start to look like corpses, though that takes roughly a year of starvation."

I have to stare blankly at the thought of Itachi looking any less gorgeous then he is. "What else can kill you?" _That_ seems like a rude thing to ask someone.

"Prolonged starvation, if we're weak enough we could be killed like a anyone else can. There's also some who can dry up."

"But the sun doesn't hurt you?" My eyes begin to adjust, and I can see more then just his red eyes.

"We're sensitive to it. It doesn't harm us. It's just like dead skin in the sun, it can dry, but that would take over a day. And a tan lasts forever, _we've tested that_." His head weaves.

Something about that last part that felt wrong. So I have to ask a final question, to relieve any tension I've caused. "How old are you?"

He looks at me, blank, pure blank, the kind of blank that says '_did you really just ask me that?' _But he replies. "Sixteen."

"How long have you _been_ sixteen?"

He grins wide. "A while."

I grin quietly. Good enough. He's not going to execute me for knowing this and he doesn't seem to care for any other senario. I look back up. "Sorry about Deidara."

He chuckles. "Nothing to do with you. I knew he was here, I've been looking for him."

"Could he know where your brother is?"

He shakes his head. "No, he'd be bragging about it if he did."

Yeah, probably. I can't say I'm _upset_ with Deidara at all. It seems too natural to believe he's this much of an... spazz? I don't know _what_ Deidara is. "Is there anything I can do?"

He's laughing again. More nervous chuckling this time. "There's nothing I haven't already tried."

I search my head for any, little, minisucle bit of information I might know about_. Nothing,_ obviously. "What are you going to do now?"

"Nothing. More of the same. Nothing _to_ do."

My shoulders drop. I can more clearly see his silloette and make out some details. The eyes are a base for everything. _Think of something to say!_

"You can't tell anyone Konan."

That feels like common sense, but after a moments dread I realize, I have to tell Nagato. There's no reason, but I've never not told him _anything._ I told that boy when I started my fucking _menstral cycle_ for christs sake.

Itachi must notice the horror on my face. "What is it?"

"Can I tell Nagato?" I guess blunt would work. Yes, blunt works nicely.

Because he looks at me, and he raises an eyebrow. "Does he need to know?"

"I just want to tell him."

He thinks for a moment. "I guess he can't hurt anything. Pretty feeble thing."

I would almost defend him in some way, but I don't want to object a_- vampire-_ this soon and I _also_ don't even have a comeback at this time.

"What do _I_ do now?" I ask. And I see him lean forward but it didn't register that he'd so quickly slauntered up until he was almost against me.

He presses a finger against his grinning lips. "_Keep a secret._"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 3.5**

If I circle around the hedges, I can make it to the backdoor and pop up behind Konan before she wonders what I'm doing.

_Have to remember to call Mom and tell her I __**won't**__ make it to dinner._

Itachi's a vampire, and to think I was wondering whether his childhood trauma was beating or divorce.

At least Konan felt to include me, I was feeling like a third wheel for a while. Hypotheticly, considering they didn't know I was here.

But Konan's always wanted to tell me everything. She told me when she started her period when we were eleven. And since I didn't know what it was, I then made her explain it to me. So when Mom and Dad tried to give me a birds and the bees talk a few months later, I ended up correcting them.

They've walked far enough away now so I peek over the hedge and start side-stepping away. After a few moments where I'm convinced my ninja skills are even top-notch against a vampire, I run into a big dark thing.

I throw my hand up to my mouth to keep from gasping too loud. Itachi cocks his head. "_Pretty feeble thing_, I'd said. I guess I'm an idiot."

"Hey." I whisper, trusting he's not going to rip out my jugular vein. "How's it goin?"

"I told Konan I'd be on my way home. If you're fast, you can save her from having to confront Deidara alone."

Deidara, whom I'm fully aware has likely trashed Konan's room by now, since that's what he was doing when I left him to come out and play spy. "Okay. But-"

"Yes?" He asks smoothly. I have a few better thought-out questions Konan never thought to ask, but I'll wait to be in a better situation that's _in the daytime_.

I look up at him, doing my best 'Yes I'm as innocent as I seem' face. "Promise me you will never refference Twilight again."

He grins that perfect kind of enticing vampire grin you see in the good movies. "I'll try."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 4**

_RIIIIIIING RIIIIIIING RIIIIIIING_

"Hello? Shiori residence?" Mom faintly chimes from downstairs. I don't want to open my eyes yet.

That was a weird dream, kind of like being stuck in one of those paintings that's just a bunch of crisscrossing illogical staircases.

As my mind clears, I remember what parts of it _weren't_ a dream.

I just focus on how much I really like Itachi to not start screaming. What's happened now?

We yanked all of Deidara's knifes out of the walls- _Where does he put all of those?_ before Mom came out of hiding. She's fine, actually. Said that the commotion was 'cute'.She's also still convinced it was because they were fighting over me.

_If I was gonna date anyone it would probably be Nagato since I've always loved those friends-since-birth love stories._

But anyway. Deidara trashed my room. Call it my otherworldly luck that not a single one of my glass knic-knacks where harmed. One of my pillows popped but it was used for head leveling and we have about fifty of them. So the biggest part of our clean up was picking up all of the feathers because we didn't want to use the vaccum and reveal to Mom the damage.

Then all we had to do was sedate and subdue Deidara, which was kind of a calming form of hectic fun. Since it included me holding him down alot. At one point he made it to the stairs and went for the door but Nagato was prepared and lassoed him- really, he found some rope in one of the storage rooms- and we dragged him back upstairs. That was fun.

Finally he stopped screaming and sat down. He got a nosebleed from either a ruptured, fevered brain ulcer, or the fact that I kept having to be pressed against him. One of those. We got him tissues and I kind of had to sit by the bed and talk to him until he passed out, which really wasn't that long.

We didn't at all talk about this _incident._ He actually told me how cool I was and how cool Nagato is and how when he's a celebrity he'll take us to every single party with him. Yeah. Cute little aspiring artist- slash- spazztic little puppy with rabies.

Nagato wanted to stay here the night again but I told him to just go on home and find some mental peace. He wasn't needed after Deidara was asleep. My bed was strangely lonely tonight though.

Gawd, I'm already missing him. I need to call him once it's his wake-up time-

"Konan!" Momma chimes yet again. I was kind of hoping it was inhumanly early and I could sleep for a little more. I'm about to yell back when I decide I want Deidara to sleep as _long_ as _inhumanly_ possible.

So I jump out of bed, unsteadily at first- and make it to the door. Mom comes up and hands me the phone. "Yeah?"

"It's Naruto~" She coos.

_This late already?_ I take the phone, glancing at the door, Deidara doesn't seem to be making any noise. So I nod to Mom and retreat back into my room. Closing the door.

"Hey kit." I coo myself. I make it over to the endtable with my clock- which has been knocked over after last night, of course.

"_Konaaaaaaaaaan!"_ He squees way too loudly. Naruto sleeps until noon on the weekend, I don't know what time it could possibl-... wow, it's 2pm. Shitake. "Whaterudoing!?"

"Uhm, just woke up Naru-kit." How long did I sleep? wait- I was up until 2 in the AM. But that's twelve hours of sleep. _How long did it take to calm down Deidara?_ "Whater-_you_ doing?"

Naruto's Nagato's little cousin, but we've been picking at him since he was born. I've always loved him especially. Not to mention he's possibley the sweetest being on earth. And not my Mom's giddy naivety, Naruto's just an _angel._

"UUUUUUUUHHHHHHMMMM~" He 'ums' really loud and long. Because he's like that- kind of like Deidara only nice and sweet. "I was gonna go to the Nara Swing Park today. Bunch of the guys are hangin' out there."

I grin. _Something about his voice makes everything better and happy._ "Okay, Naruto. Me and Nagato might take a walk by there today." I actually didn't think I would want to do anything today. Buuuut._ SQUEE! it's Naruto!_

"Okay- and- then- uhhh- okay so the other day me and Sakura were at the basketball court and-" He starts rambling incoherrently for a really, really long time. He calls every Sunday looking for something to do with us. It's easy to spot him, I've seen him jumping around the rooftops in town. No one above his age likes him.

I open the door and peek out. Tip-toeing first to the steps. Looking down, I faintly hear Mom in the kitchen. _Hope she hasn't noticed the holes in the wall. The paints dark, so-_

Then I tip-toe back up the hall, stopping at my room as a check point. We'd stapled Deidara into the guestroom closest to my room tonight for extra measure. I then- still half-registering Naruto's story of an apparently very epic basketball match- go over to Deidara's room.

The covers are spread out everywhere and I can see the motionless, scattered tuff of gold hair that is Deidara's head. I see his steady breathing and hear-_ barely, considering Naruto's still jabbering-_ shallow, soft snoring.

I backtrack through into my room again as a few keytones pop out signaling Naruto's nearing end.

"-and Karin made miso ramen with extra pork which is totally my favorite and it was AWESOME!" I plop down onto the bed, totally content.

"Sounds awesome Naruto."

"I know! it was!" He glees. "So, are you awake now?"

"I think so." I coo to him. I guess my final ultimatum it to just get dressed and go on with the day.

"O-_kaaaaaaaaaaaaay_- seeyoulater Konan!"

"Bye~" I sing before pressing cancel. I tip-toe out again.

Impulsively, I return to Deidara's door. He shifts, but it is still silent and sweet and peaceful.

I go to the steps and tip-toe down, getting there, I survey the damage to the door. It's invisable, we can say we must've thrown it open too many times.

I also snatch a peek at the slit on the wall, we'd almost forgotten it but Nagato'd yanked the weapon out just in time.

_'This one's got Dei's initials too,'_

_'How'd he get __**that?**_'

Oh, gawd, Nagato.

I _attempted_ to tell him about my melodramatic confrontation with Itachi last night, but when I started explaining- well, even _before_ I started explaining, Nagato started to do the nodding thing.

When you nod and you're like '_Iknowiknowiknow'_ But I hadn't even said anything for him to _I know _about yet. I continued with the explaination, he continued with the nodding, but I was giving the _'HOW do you know!?_' glare while he did the '_Hn? whut? I know.'_ grin...

... I love him~

Heart wrenchingly so, but I digest. I go around and into the kitchen where Momma's humming lovingly. I hang up the phone and go to her side. "How'd you sleep hon?"

"Fine." Really long, apparently. Which is what the coy look she gives me says.

"You doing good today?"

"Yup." I'll tell Mom the problem once she... well... assumes anything beside me being some kind of heartthrob.

"Eat something dear, I'm sure you have stuff to do today." Yeah, roam the streets, play with Naruto, ignore everything that happened last night.

Which is easy, my only problem is I don't know what a fully rested Deidara will do. _Can't exactly put him in a basket and drop him off somewhere. Plus he's kind of..._

I don't know if it's inhuman for me to find Deidara _endearing_ after all this. _Or, well... with Itachi... it's... I'm just really mellow right now, I guess._

I take some toast slices and stuff them in my mouth before going back upstairs. I check on Deidara, again. I think he's stirring. I tip-toe inside. "Roll over, go back to sleep."

"Hnhnhng hnhnm." He does exactly as I say without opening his eyes. I fold the blanket over to cover him again and make my way back out.

Deidara seems pretty mellow too. Or at least _delirious._ Which I guess is just as good.

~'~ ~'~

I text Nagato. _'Excuse my grammar but OMG how did u sleep last night?'_

'_ROFL I slept but woke up at evry hour :)'_

_'I slept 12hrs. Dei is still out cold'_

_'Now whut?'_

_'Narukits gunna be at Nara. We walk,'_

_'Okies :)'_

I pull on some jeans and a white top. Bring along a jacket for good measure. Check on Deidara. _Again._ He's still in bed but he might just be laying there now.

I poke my head in. "I'll be out. Be back in a couple hours."

There's no reply but it's better then dissapearing, I guess.

Now down the steps where Mom waits for me. "Any other guests to be coming today?"

"_No,_ Mom." No no no no-... well, I hope not at least.

She gives me an amused look. "Well, have fun then. Play safe. Be careful. Don't hurt anyone."

_Mooooooooom._ "Iluvu." Usually.

She blows a kiss and I'm out. Through the walk, down the steps, past those damn cats that are mew-screaming at me.

And I don't have to do much more then that, Nagato's loitering around the bottom of the stairs waiting.

"Hi Konan!" He gushes giddily.

"Hey~" I drone out, suddenly, I feel tired again. Better remember to sleep tonight. "You good? I was thinking we could take some backstreets." Wanna draw out my time with him because I don't think I can focus without.

He nodds figorously. "Yup, Mom gave me coffee so I'm good to go."

Eeh, _he is such a dork~ _Nagato on coffee is like an ant on steriods. He performs better but it doesn't actually effect anything. He's noting my dread and knows I'm flashbacking to our thirteenth thanksgiving where-

He grins and grabs my hand. "Common, calm down, let's go play."

_Yeah, that's better. _He pulls me ahead and we skid ourselves down the shortcut through the frontal neighbours yards to the street.

~'~ ~'~

"So what's the deal now?" Nagato asks me once we get to the safety of the alleys behind all of the towns shops. It's nice and shady and we won't come across people who'll try to talk to us.

I think about that, well... Uhhhhm...

"What do _you_ want the deal to be now?" My version of telling him _'Uuuuuh, iunno...'_

He chuckles. "Are you still panicking?"

_No._... well, I'm not sure what panicking at this level should feel like. Maybe I'm just in extreme shock. That feels about right.

"Konan?" What? I look over to him... Wait, shit.

"I said 'no' in my head, didn't I?"

He laughs at me again. "Awww, lookit you~"

"What? I'm pretty sure I'm in shock." Really, really, really.

He does the thinking pose. "Hnnnm, maybe." He pokes at me. "You have to scream, if you scream, you're not crazy."

"Ah!" I shriek half-heartedly. Don't feel like the reason someone gets frazled by a scream in the back of an alley.

Unsatisfied, he tickles me until I make a few more half-decent shrieks- Owowowow- _okay_ okay! I weakly patter at his shoulders to make him stop.

We continue picking and pulling and poking at eachother for about five minutes. Which actually makes me feel alot better again. So I keep poking at his head for alittle more and all is happily delirious for a while-

"Hn." Nagato suddenly yelps and grabs my arm. Spinning around- well, I think the accurate describtion here is _Zombie Dei._

"Hey Deidara!" I blabber out, wide-eyed, and generally confused. "Whatchudoin out here?"

He looks tired, his hair's a fuzzy mess, clothes deshevled, eyes tiredly narrowed at us. "What'er _you_ doin' here?"

I grin, and try not to look scared of him. _I'm not, but I know how he might get._ "Walkin'."

His head slumps down like- '_Seriously? that's boring._' And he stares some more. "Where's the other thing?"

Nagato looks at me, we've both painted big smiles on our faces. I blink. "...Other thing?"

"The monster, the Uchiha, the vamp-dick. _God_ you're lame."

I slump my head in my own '_Seriously?_' expression. "Home, probably. We haven't seen him."

"Hng." He grunts. "He try to kill you?"

"No." Not yet, and I'm sure that's against vampire rules for him _not_ to have at this point.

He rolls his eyes. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?" He's getting animated, but at least he's not tantruming.

"No, we believe you." Nagato pops out, quite more politely then me. "We're just not picking sides. This is _your_ problem."

Oh, that'swhat I've been doing. Not picking sides. And I thought I was just in shock. _Wish he would've told me his own point-of-view before he tried to make me squeal._ Gawd Nagato's sadistic, but, smart.

And good, too. Because Deidara switches personalities and grins giddily. "Really? awesome, thanks."

_Your welcome,_ I guess. Nagato continues on for me. "What're you doin' now?"

He shrugs passively. "Hng, looking for that fucktard. I'll try ta' be home by sunset."

He then trots off like a happy little pony and Nagato actually starts _laughing._ "I like him~"

Blinking softly, I take a breath. "Well, the only worry I've been having is that he would be a constant spazzfest now. But I guess he's okay."

Nagato continues to giggle while I take my free hand and facepalm.

Then I poke at him again. "So that's what you're doing? Not picking a side?"

He's folding his hands behind his head and getting more giddy. "Well, I'm not against either of them. So we got two new friends who hate eachother, it's something to do."

Awww, they're our _friends,_ well, I guess that would be the only describtion. "We should make them matching bracelets~"

Nagato gushes and tugs at his own bracelet. We made ours when we were ten and our Dad's won a contest and got to send us to a Summer Camp.

Nagato got a total one-hundred and fifty-two mosquito bites because he was scared of the bug spray, and I spent a weekend suspended from activities for kicking a boy who flirted with me between the legs. But we made these cutesy bracelets, so it was nice.

I grab his wrist away and pull him along down the last bit of the alley before making it out into the sunlight.

Nara Park is about a block down the road now, in good viewing distance. We're heading for it- and we spot a dark figure against the wall.

When I look up at it I have to stifle a laugh. Itachi walks over calmly grinning, holding a parasol over his head.

"Predicting rain, Itachi?" I have to ask.

He holds the grin. "It's sunny, _I tan easily._" He says with theatric malice.

A nervous chuckle and Nagato whips his head around antzy. "Uh- Deidara was just here."

He nodds. "I know, he went the other way."

Nagato's chuckling normally now. I cock my head. "Are you _sure_ you don't have super powers?"

He griningly shrugs and comes over to join us with walking. "Not anything special."

"No affinities for anything? Spazz-tracking?" I try.

He almost cackles, giving us an amused WTF look. "We're probably one of the least spiritual things on earth."

"Not like in House of Night?" Nagato asks.

Itachi double-takes, stares at him, suddenly emotionless, and blinked. "House of Night was _terrible._"

"That's what I thought." Nagato mused. "I couldn't make it past Chosen. I skipped to Awakened. Then I made up an epilouge where Stark and Neferet burst into flames and Jack comes back to life."

Nagato may be getting cheeky with his comments but that really just made me laugh more. Itachi had to shake his head clear of the imagery, which was a funny reaction coming from him.

Then he shoves Nagato into me and pretends that conversation never happened, Nagato makes growly noises, Itachi returns to cool-amused stotic mode.

We're coming up on Nara Park now. It's a stretch of about a hundred acres of trees and walkways, there's a pond to the far side and on the opposite there's the section called the Swing Park, which has all the jungle gyms and playsets set around in a little square.

I spot an orange blur zipping around, _that's Naruto._ Nagato's busy harrassing Itachi, I walk across the street and to the sidewalk next to the sets.

The orange blur stutters, and blasts toward me. I get giddy arms around my waist. Speed of sound catches up and I can hear his voice. "Hi Konan-Konan-Konan-Kon_aaaaaaaa_n!"

"Hello _Naruto~_" I ruffle his messy yellow hair. "What've _you_ been doing all week?"

His head falls back, he looks up at me with a wide, open-mouthed blinking face. "Uuuuuuhhhhhm, well, after the basketball game, there was this thing in the forest, and then there was this thing with math-stuff at school and this nerdy little guy from Suna tried to kill me, so then I head-butted him, aaaaaaaand-"

About ready to _gush_ at the mere presense of him, I giggle and pat his cheeks. "And who're you here with?"

"EEEEEEEEVERYBODY HERE!"He happily exclaims with his arms in the sky.

I look behind him to his friends. There's the doctors son Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Hana Inuzuka's younger brother Kiba, Lee from the Martial Arts Dojo, and there's one I can't name, a raven-head set back from the others, reading a book.

"We've been here _aaaaaaaaall_ day. And we found this girl in a tree and we chased some gophers and Lee almost broke both his legs and now Shikamaru's complaining and Kiba's got his sister calling every five seconds and it's _reaaaaaally_ kind of awesome and cool and cool like Fonzy and yeah and-"

Naruto keeps talking about how fun/cool/stupid his friends are. Looking back, Nagato's still consuming Itachi's time with blabbering about... mystic... species-that-Itachi-is questions. But I guess our telepathic connection signals to him and he looks over, he giddily waves at us.

He then waves Itachi off and comes over to us. "_Hey~_ Naru-kit." Naruto greets him back, his friends call for him and with another hug he goes to rejoin them.

Naruto got his nickname _Naru-kit_ firstly from a fox-eared coat he always wore when he was little. But it really started to stick when he proved to be just as tricky, mischivous, and perverted as any mythology kitsune creature. He's nice an' fluffy too.

Naruto's now throwing dirt at the group of friends that are now leaving. He actively pouts for a while, and it's cute even from a distance- before he jumps up on the jungle gym. The unnameable friend is still there, he's tugging him along the set now.

Naruto starts climbing the bars like he's some five-year-old monkey hybrid. His friend enthusiasticly keeps up with him, trying to pry him off every item.

I watch the two play around carelessly for a while. I get an aura from Nagato- I look to him. "Something wrong?"

He looks back at me, blinking innocently. "Itachi walked away."

I turn more to look around. Correct, he's gone. But I think he must've gotten bored, just following us around. _Try not to think if he's hungry or not._

I wave it off to Nagato to try not to worry about it, _but we will later_. I try and re-consume myself in watching Naruto, but just as I diverted my attention, Nagato grabs my sleeve and points me to 7 O'clock.

Deidara, in his spazzing mode, as Itachi wrestles him into an alley way, and Deidara is feverishly gesturing to the park.

_What's that about? _ I look at the park. Nothing there, just Naruto with his friend. Nothing special- _to Deidara-_ about Naruto. Then there's his friend...

His _friend..._

Something clicks, _and it's like it should have been obvious all along, even though that's crazy_. I run over to Naruto, with a giant, false grin on my face. "Naru-kit, what'chu doin?"

Naruto's still laughing at his most recent fall off the bars. "Nuthin~!" He replies giddily. But I'm not looking at him, I've successfully gotten his friends attention.

He has bright red eyes, _exactly like Itachi's._ And I try not to make it seem unnatural when I study his face. _He looks like Itachi._

Something catches in my throat, but I immidiantly realize I can't let anything on- regardless of how subtle or out-of-context. So I grin wide at Naruto. "We might be going in a while, what time are you guys leaving?"

Naruto assumes his thinking pose. "Uuuhm, I dunno- Sasuke?" He turns to the red-eyed raven-haired Itachi look-alike, who just shrugs. _He's a really curious companion choice for hyperactive runt Naruto_.

But he reminds me of Itachi and I don't care that the only proof I have is a happening and _eyes, _but those are Itachi's eyes and I don't need confirmation that this is the brother he's been looking for.

What the boy's doing all the way out here I have no idea, but I try not to look at him and nod to Naruto. "Whenever you guys are ready we'll walk you home."

"Okay!" He does a roll and tries to evade _Sasuke._ Who chases after him. I turn around and walk stiffly back to Nagato.

He didn't _need_ to get up close to decide. He's figured this out too. So he's standing, varily still, blank and quiet.

I assume my previous position. Probably a bit stiffer then before. Nagato's the first that is able to talk again. "What was _that?_" He gushes.

I blink. "Um, so, before my brain melted, my plan was to keep track of them." I mumble.

He's nodding. "Good, good, nice plan." He's still nodding, but I think he's calmer then me. Yeah, he's trying to calm _me_ down. "Um, what about Itachi and Dei?"

Logic, what are they probably doing? Itachi's probably been dealing with Deidara for a while- _wait, Deidara's fifteen. How long could he have been stalking Itachi all alone?_

Wait, here's something. Maybe I shouldn't try to solve it all by myself. "How about we just ask Itachi what to do?"

Nagato turns to me, happy with my thought process. "_Better_ plan."

After a few moments, we both can't hold it anymore and we start laughing _hystarically._ Because this is a pretty damn great weekend.

_THUD_

"Ow!" Naruto's fallen off the set. He takes a handful of dirt and laughingly throws it at Sasuke. "Bastard!"

Sasuke who laughs back and ignores his curses. Naruto gets up and brushes himself off. He's tore his shirt, a little scrape on his arm, all is well, he gets back on.

~'~ ~'~

Nagato and I walked Naru-kit home. Which really included me and Nagato walking five feet behind him and _Sasuke_ while they shoved eachother around.

Naruto's house is about a mile down the road past Nagato's. In a big old manor his parents restored with,_ you know, a big old Mayor's paycheck._ But Naruto's wealth isn't the topic here.

Nagato's humming, consuming the silence. We're both watching them intently. Naruto's zig-zagging all around the sidewalk and doing the occasional skip, or wave back at us.

Itachi's brother, in contrast, is going the straight course down the middle of the sidewalk, hands shoved in his pockets spouting the occasional lecture to Naruto.

As my aura becomes darker and darker, Nagato hooks his arm in mine. Because after the hystaric delirium is gone, I'm just uneasy. His humming dims to just making sure I know he's here.

The sudden change in the walls color- _Naruto's Mom painted their section lavander one summer-_ _The smell had been terrible- _signals we're at his house. Nagato and I try to speed up to where Naruto and Sasuke have stopped.

"And _theeeeen-_ Konan!" Naruto seems to re-notice us and hugs me again, which makes me feel _alot_ better. "I'll call you later!" He giddily exclaims.

He says goodbye to Sasuke too, but it doesn't process in my head. I give Naruto all my love, but with his final wave to Sasuke, and, well, a _blink._

Naruto's turned his head and Sasuke's shot himself down the block and around the corner. Nagato and I both almost go after him before registering that there's no way we'll catch up. _Really wishing I hadn't blinked._

Nagato smacks his head on the wall, and too understanding of the futile attempt, I just sigh. "Well, _that_ was _productive._"

"_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._" He flutters his eyes, and turns to me. "Knew I should of brought my garlic necklace today."

There's another thing I could've asked, but not right now. "Okay, so what do we do?"

"Itachi."

"Right." Still planning on asking his opinion. Considering this is his _thing_. "But-..." Okay, but what? "Nagato, say something that makes me feel better."

He dawns his sweet little smile. "Kitty-kitty-puppy-blanket!"

_Blanket._ How I wish I could curl into one right now. Prefferably my own, warm blanket. With Nagato close by, Momma singing downstairs, and not a single ounce of dread over what personality Deidara will be sporting when I wake up.

Somethings stirring in me, I take Nagato's arm and we start walking up the block, straight for my house. I felt a premenitioning feeling, womens intuition or just natural, un-genderized dread.

It's not long before Itachi suddenly arrives in our path, out of nowhere- I don't know if we weren't paying attention or if he really did just pop out of nowhere.

And Nagato and I aren't surprised. It's like we could feel him nearby. "Itachi."

He's reminding me of last night, when he sat in the shadows, his eyes narrowed, not really wanting to be here but not wanting to leave. Only it's still decent daylight out, and I can see what he's doing. _Which, he isn't doing anything. Just really standing there, brooding._

Nagato speaks again, I'm too consumed in the moment. "Was that really?..."

His head weaves, a sorrowful nod. "Yes."

Nagato takes a breath, not easy on his heart. _Oh, Nagato's heart._ "Can you find him?"

"If he doesn't skip town." Is what he says, and I can't describe how he says it. It's not a breath, it's not a premenition, barely even a fact. It's just something that came out. "But this has been helpful." Comes out more quietly, more like a breath. _Like he's relieved but he's dreading._

"Anything we can do?" My arm's still wrapped in his. I'm still not processing things like I should. I don't know how or why but all my cells are focused on worrying for Itachi.

And, in answer to Nagato's question, Itachi's head weaves again. But it stays there, softly cocked, still watching us. "_Don't look so scared._"

I know he wasn't talking to Nagato, because I can feel_- I just feel what Nagato feels, I always have-_ Nagato's compassion and sencerity. _I don't mean to be scared, I'm just naturally selfish like that. I always have._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 4.5**

In this world, Ame is a cozy little town, famous for it's random, unexpected downpours. It's on the corner of the state Konoha, the picture of perfection in all the country.

Things have been happening in Ame lately though, things the residence either never notice or don't quite understand yet. Not yet, indeed.

And the events to happen in this town are not anywhere near their conclusion. This town is destined to legend. The residence may never know it, but a group of people will.

The group hasn't formed yet. Not entirely. It's still in it's beggining stages. Not yet prepared for the task they will all be faced with.

In this vast world, few know what's about to happen. And no one willing- or able- to stop it. Fantasy is dashed to destruction and all is truth. Complete truth. In one form, or the other.

There's a property that's destined to view the destiny that will be placed here. The land _will_ know, the angels _do _know, but no one _else _knows. _Yet._

Destiny and legends are about to be born here, very soon. But not quite yet. One part of the group that will begin this hasn't decided on the path that will take them there yet. Another isn't aware it'll be made. One is fully aware but not understanding in the slightest of what it will come out to be.

One is having suspicions that something will happen, but even he doesn't know it's growing magnitude. One knows, but he tells noone. He cannot control his destiny.

One's head is full of nothing but fever dreams. One's head is full of nothing but hope. There are others, who will join this story, but their postitions are nowhere near what is now.

One believes in his view of the ending. He is very hopeful, despite all odds.

And one- probably the most important for the entire goal that has set this section of destiny into motion- isn't thinking about any of this. She's trying to get to sleep. And sadly, she has no idea that she will be having many sleepless nights to come.

The rain in Ame is starting, it's soft, it will leave no trace in the morning. But it falls, and cleans that land another time. Keeping the ground neat and in place for the destinies that will play out upon it.

She's fallen asleep, and her dreams will bring her the hope she needs to be able to see the legend.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 5**

I'd curled up into my covers and just lulled myself. It was remarkabley hard, but I fell asleep eventually. So it could have been worse.

I would have never fallen asleep if Nagato hadn't stayed and crawled in here with me. _When I got home I had a terrible, frozen feeling. Nagato's warm, better then a blanket._

I don't remember what Mom was doing. Deidara's in the house _somewhere._ At least he was last night- he wasn't in his room, but somewhere in a untraveled section of the house we could hear distinct tantruming.

_Oh, there it is again. Yup, he's still here._

I want to try and convince myself it's too early to get up now, but I haven't looked at a clock yet. _God I'm sorry Itachi._ I should get up, soon, at least.

I can still feel Nagato at my back. I don't believe he's asleep, though. Which validates that it probably isn't very early.

I move the covers down enough to see the clock. Hn-hn, eight-thirty. Perfectly fine time to wake up... Wait,

It seems to _occur_ to me that it's _Monday._ Dammit. _School is evil right now._

This means I have to try and shove more information into my head and worry all day. Wow, just my luck. _At least I know a toolbox won't fall on my head._

_Nononononononoooo._

I have to force myself to roll over because I just don't feel like functioning right now. I face Nagato who's really just lazing around, inspecting his nails. He looks up. "Morning~"

I kindof _grunt_ and nudge into my pillow. And lift the covers enough to bury him again, bugger'd tried to crawl out, not getting away from me.

I lay my head on his shoulders. I'm at his command now. "You gonna wake up?"

"Hnnn~" I moaned. "What're we gonna do in school today?"

I open a eye to peek up at him, he rustles his hair and sighs. "Uuuuh, there's a quiz Wednesday, but I don't think there's anything til' that."

I can deal with that. But he's too comfy to move off of right now. So he has to roll out on his own and get out. I grumble while he starts playfully pushing at my covers heap.

"Wakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwake up."

"_Hnnnnnnnnnnnng._"

~'~ ~'~

"The puppies chewing on things." Nagato muses from behind me. I look up- he's holding a throw pillow. A dead throw pillow. Torn to shreds. "I found it in one of the sitting rooms upstairs. He's rampaging the parts of the house we don't use."

Hmmm. I take the pillow. "Goodbye, dear tushie-companion. We knew thee well."

"May you rest in pieces." Nagato puts his hands together and bows his head.

Mom comes in with our lunches, I pass it to her. "Sorry about your pillow Mom."

She trades me with the lunch boxes and looks at it open-mouthed. "What happened to it!?"

"I think..." _Uuuhhhhh, how do you explain this? _"Deidara... might've... tore it." I point at the biggest slash down the middle. "Here."

Nagato points at the hanging hem. "And here."

"And there."

"But I think that one was already there." Nagato points to the smallest little tuff of stuffing poking out.

Mom starts giggling. "Well, these didn't match anything anyway."

On que there's stomping, and up at the top of the staircase, Deidara appers. Arms crossed in all his cranky, kiddish glory.

"You gonna be okay while we're at school Dara'?" I call up to him.

He grumbles poutingly, but he nods- slash- flips his hair around. He's good. The dirty look isn't _precisely_ aimed at us.

He trots off to find another room to carnage. Looking at the Grandfather clock, we have fifteen minutes left, so we can stand at the bus stop and will ourselves into enjoying our classes.

Hug-n-kiss Mom before we both leave out the door. There aren't many clouds in the sky, but there also isn't any birds chirping.

Nagato and I hook eachothers arms while we carefully make our way down my steps of terror. No one's ever actually fallen down them, it's really just the thought that there's a first for everything.

_Kind of like, uhhh- _

Anyway.

_"Ar-rrr-argh!"_

We've reached the bottom when Nagato's distracted by this. His little brown puppy is playing with none other then our Itachi.

"Chibi!" Nagato scolds. "How'd you get out here!?"

"Arf-urrragh!" The brown poochie scampers over to Nagato- he tries to grab him but the doggy jumps back.

"Chibi! no time to play!" He starts down the block, signalling Chibi. "Hi Itachi- just a minute- gotta take him- Chibi! out of the road! common boy!"

"Ar-ar-ar-ar-arararargh!" Nagato tries to lead him up to his house, and as he's getting farther I'm getting alot colder and lonely.

This time the problem isn't abandonment issues, it's just that being alone with Itachi doesn't feel like it's going to fare well.

My eyes pass his but don't make complete contact. It never feels right to look directly at him, it does something.

But I can feel him still looking at me- "You alright?"

I would expect him to only talk to me with resentment, but I guess it's not kicking in yet. "I'm sorry Itachi."

Still no resentment. "I don't blame you."

I look up- Nagato won't miss the bus. He's halfway down the road where his Dad's pulled up. Getting Chibi into his van. Nagato's soon return pushes me to look at Itachi again. "Can I ask you more things?"

He nods slowly. "What?"

I know Nagato's been asking him all sorts of detailed stuff. My only idea is- well. "What are you?" _It's the same thing I asked him before but he never really answered me._

He keeps his stare ahead. "Vampire."

"What does that mean?"

He scoffs. "I'm a walking _corpse._ It's not romantic. Have you seen 'Let the right one in'?"

My head cocks. Yeah, eighth grade book report. "With the pedophiles and the castrated kid?"

He's grinning now. "Yes. That, minus sunlight and the castration."

_So they need blood, con their way through the world and need permission to enter a house. _"Why are you telling me this?"

He finally looks at me. "Well, Deidara slipped it to you. I could've lied, and make Deidara out to be a pyscho." _Which wouldn't have been hard. _"Or I could trust you. Which felt much more right. I put Deidara through enough."

_Blink_. "Am I the only one you've told?"

He grins again. "No, there's other's in the past. Although I've never talked to anyone _myself_."

My thought process is moving more smoothly now. Calmed, _relieved_, almost, for some reason. And Nagato's returning, already tired out from trying to control his _actual_ puppy.

He gets here, panting, and after checking on me he turns to Itachi. "Hey, 'Tachi. What're you doing here?" He breaths out.

Itachi grins at him. "I missed you."

Nagato giggles breathlessly and comes to my side. After senseing the lack of anxiety, he perks up. "Hey, Konan. Vampires were made from a Voodoo potion gone wrong."

Oh, that's something I didn't think of. "Really?"

Itachi's still smiling and Nagato continues on. "Yeah, they were trying to make a league of zombie servants but put too much black magic and not enough salt in the mix." Itachi's still smiling and I gush out hystarically.

~'~ ~'~

We all got on the bus together, Nagato told me more stuff he'd bugged out of Itachi, and used the code word 'Urchins' the whole ride. Out of the people on our bus, no girls were brave enough to sit next to Itachi and the guys were too anti-social. So Nagato kept jumping up and blabbering about the funfacts of_ urchins_ with him.

Eventually we got off the bus and heading to our class. Takamura Yoishi is sitting on top of his desk bragging about something related to Go. Akame and Ayumi Sashimo are gossiping about the evils of bad conveniance shopping. Everyone else is in their seats.

Professor Yashagoro is lazily flipping through a magezine. The bell rings, he doesn't look up. "Hello all you darling little _children._" He groans. "Today we shall be researching the cells in our bodies that create human chemistry. It has nothing to do with what we were doing last week but I don't care." He's still droning on, we've made it to our seats. "Now rub on eachother and see how it makes you feel. And remember, school rules prohibit contact."

When he's finished with that magezine he'll wake up and give us something more important to do. Nagato's letting his finger hovor over my shoulder. _I'm not touching you~_

I hear Itachi chuckle, he digs into his bag and looks through his notes. _Hm, wonder how many times he's graduated highschool._

Itachi's quite a gentlemen, those were most common in the seventeenth century, I think. Well, or the fifties. I need to ask him again how old he really is.

Professor Yashagoro smacks his magezine shut. "Uzumaki! take your finger away from that!" Nagato's hand retreats back onto his lap. Yashagoro keeps going. "Uchiha, new boy. Do you know the name of the cells that bring about the sensation of love?"

Itachi's head doesn't raise from his notebook. "Can't answer that sir, I'm Christian. I believe all love is from our lord and savior."

Professor Yashagoro _pouts._ "Damn, stupid religon." He's very childish when he's bored. _I think he's, like, fifty. Just has really nice hair. It's in a ponytail today and he'll probably look like a girl from behind._ "Yoishi! you're mother's Protestant, what about you?"

Class Go champion _duuuuuuuuuurh_'s for a long time. "Urhm, Cupidoid-chromozones?"

"You fail. Yuurei?" Kagura jumps up and starts giving a detailed summary and origin of the proper word. She talks too fast for me to register, and I really do try. Looks like I haven't learned anything today.

Professor Yashagoro kicks into gear and starts talking relevently- he's mixing the idea of cells and asking us to take a bunch of the chemicals we used Friday and apply them to the celluar reaction of ourselves. A.K.A. Name the poison.

Nagato pokes his face into his notebook and Itachi is already smoothly writting things down. I haven't brought my Chemistry book out yet...

~'~ ~'~

When lunch came around Nagato scooted his chair next to mine this time and urged Itachi to pull his over too. Us reluctant stotics did so with exaggeratingly rolled eyes.

When we're all set up, Nagato does his big- okay 'we're here now what!'- smile. "Okay- now what?"

Itachi just chuckles at him and I give him a look.

A mini-lightbulb pops above Nagato's head. "Itachi, what's your food do?"

Itachi's lunch consists of rice with the smallest chunk of seaweed in the middle. He's put a few bits in his mouth but he's really just pushing it around. "It disintegrates."

"If you drink lots of water do you bloat up?"

Scary mental image of obese Itachi. He blinks. "Yes, actually."

I'm trying to hide my face from them while I choke down my rabbit-shaped hardboiled eggs. Not working, they're on both sides of me.

"Okay- so anyway. Itachi- what should we do about your brother?" I try not to spit everything back up when I gag. Itachi's kind of blinking slowly. Slowly.

"...Actually, I needed you to show me around so I could scope for possible hiding spots." He pushes his lunch away and puts his elbows on the desk. "He's not exactly the type to _rent an apartment_."

"Where might he be hiding?" _Where does a mini-vamp hiding from big scary bro-vamp go?_

Itachi's brainstorming now, we've gotten to a conversation topic he actually cares about. "He's too finicky to be in the woods. And he can't be in a house."

The town might be small, but there's alot of little buildings scattered everywhere. "There's a ton of hidden alleys all around town."

"If he's still around, then he doesn't know I'm here yet. We'd need to sneak up on him." He muses. His eyes are somewhere else.

Nagato's nibbling on his plastic spork, a more comical thinking pose. "Hnnn, how do you sneak up on an urchin?"

"Fast and quiet." He explained. "I can usually catch him when he isn't paying attention. But if his guard's up it can be impossible."

I really don't feel safe saying this, so I'm happy when Nagato spurts it out. "How often does he do this?"

Itachi rolls his eyes and scoffs. "Everyother two years."

Nagato spouts out a chuckle. "That's sad."

"The longest record is five years and nine months. The shortest is three months and a week."

Wow, that really _is_ sad. Poor Itachi. "Why does he do that?"

Itachi's eyes still to a blank glare at the wall. "He's a selfish, stubborn, insecure, pig-headed ass."

Nagato starts giggling. "Awww, I wish _I_ had a little brother!"

"Hn." Itachi's smile cracks back up.

~'~ ~'~

Nagato got an idea so we quietly sneaked out half-way through closing announcements, easy because Akame and Ayumi started this big speech about something concerning fashion and pink things.

Nagato caught up to his Aunt Kushina, Naruto's mother and our giddy Art teacher. Asked her some stuff about what Naruto's been doing- after she repeated Naruto's old tale of basketball awesomeness, we figured out Sasuke's been active in town for at least a week and is claiming he lives on the edge of town, and is going to a catholic school.

Itachi himself says it's damned rare that Sasuke would be talking to _anyone_ when he's hiding out.

And, actually, right now we don't even know where _Itachi_ is. We left the school and lost him. So Nagato and I are sitting around, waiting for him to pop up again. _Like, you know, vampires do._

... Itachi's a _vampire_...

I clutch onto Nagato's arm and he laughs. "What?"

"Itachi's a urchin." I mumble, he laughs at me more. "It's starting to process."

Nagato rolls his eyes at me. _Hey! I'm supposed to be the one that does that!_ "You're just now registering it? You're one clunky computer Konan."

"It's not like I'm on Deidara's side, I'm just processing that this isn't supposed to be logically possible."

He nudges me, trying to get my attention. "Everyone goes through life limited by knowledge and their own senses."

_Eh? _I look up at him. "What?"

"Something Itachi said."

Now I get to roll my own eyes. Still kind of pouty though. _Damn I'm girly_. Why won't anyone give me special treatment? Or less-then-special- Why does this have to happen to _me?_

"And I'm not sure I like his brother." I mumble out. "It's not very nice to run and hide so... well... _frequently... _Even if he wasn't a urchin, there's something wrong with doing that."

"Well, they're kindof trapped in the mindset their bodies are set in." He muses. "So he's been in the mindset of a preteen for, like a hundred years or such."

My eyebrow raises. "You haven't asked him how old they are yet?" Everything from body functions to super powers but not _that?_

He shrugs. "I know if he tells me I'll start making old people jokes." Hnm, it's not hard imagining Itachi as older and wiser then us. _Wait- he's a Gemini, we're techinically older then him._

"Still doesn't justify his brothers rudeness." Even if you excuse that he's in the mindset of an _old man_. "Itachi should probably let him be cold and lonely for a while."

Nagato looks over to me. "Well, think about it Konan. If _I_ was your little brother, wouldn't you be worried sick about me?"

_You're a month older then me, Nagato. _I roll my eyes, that's true. But the problem isn't that, my main concern is that I truely don't know how we can effectively help Itachi beyond telling him _how many different alleyways there are to hide in._

And I say this. "It's not that, I just don't know how to _track_ a _urchin_."

"... Well, duh, obivious, I thought you'd thunk' that through." He's grinning and I really feel like hitting him upside the head right now~ "But my point is, we could just find him and shadow him to find out where he is if we have to."

"Impossible." Itachi's voice drifts through so naturally we don't even jump at it's presense, we just turn around. "He would try to lose a _dog_ that followed him. He just doesn't like being around people."

Well- "He seems to like Naruto enough." Pretty damn chummy with him, really.

Itachi's laying on the top of a stone fence that surrounds the school. He's already changed out of the uniform, which seems like a good idea, really. "Well that _is_ interesting." He smoothly shifts into a sitting position. "And awfully out-of-character."

Nagato and I both smile. "Naruto's pretty lovable."

And Itachi grins back. "I see." He hops off the fence and comes to us. "What do you want to do first?"

Nagato and I exchange looks. "Change clothes."

"_Jeans_, ma'am. I need you to be able to run." He coyly states-

"_Don't call me ma'am._" That's bugged the hell out of me forever. That's what all the teachers would call me when I was little, because I acted so old. Itachi laughs at me and Nagato facepalms.

~'~ ~'~

We both tugged and cheered for Nagato to try and get to our houses in a timely manner. Which Nagato never complained- he just panted alot.

They saw me off at my house and I tried to hustle up the steps in an equally timely manner. I passed the stray and it's new little black companion. Staring at me. The kittens mewing loud and constant. I give them a wide girth and keep going up.

When I reach the top I faintly register the blue bucket outside being turned up. Which is Mom's signal for she's not here. So despite any unsucessful excuse making I won't have to make up a story for why I'm running in, changing into hiking clothes, and running out.

At the door- she hasn't been gone long- the doors not locked- Inside and _bam._

Deidara jumps onto one of the stairs steps. Hands behind his back like he wasn't just doing something. I blink. "...Hey... Dara'... what're you doing?"

He crosses his legs and tries really hard to look unguilty. "Nothing~ hn."

I flutter my eyes. "_Really?_"

He does one of his dramatic sighs and rolls his eyes. "I'm on my way back out, lady. Kay?"

He says it so plainly I chuckle. "Kay, Dei, just don't get _rabies._ Gawd, you're dirty."

He really is- has he bathed since we got him? No, no he hasn't. He washed his face, everything else was just smudged around or rubbed off while he slept. He's laughing at me, now, though. "Yeah whatever- what're you doing?"

_Thinkfast_,_ thinkfast, whatamidoing?_ "Me and Nagato are going down to the lake. We'll be late, if you're not gonna be home then."

He jumps up and giddily wraps his arms around my waist for under a moment before shooting out. "Okaybyekonan!"

_Awwww,_ that's cute.

After he's darted away, I dart up the stairs- _Clothes clothes clothes clothes- focus._

~'~ ~'~

I found a decent halter top, jacket and my grimmiest pair of jeans before carefully, _carefully,_ walking down the steps. Careful careful.

Then it's a power walk up the few yards to Nagato's place-

And now, Nagato giddily rushes up to me. "Ohmigawd Konan you shoulda seen it- Deidara zipped out of your house and Itachi jumped over my wall to hide- it was cool!" He blurts out laughing.

Blinking slowly, I look up. Itachi waves me off. "I have expertise in avoiding him."

"_How?" _He just seems to pop up whenever he damn well feels like it._ I think he needs a leash_.

Ignoring me, Itachi swings himself down and back to us. "Now?"

Glimpses of all the large areas I could think of popped up in my head. I named things off despite their unlikeness. "There's a pond on the edge of the woods we could check. An extrodinary amount of alleyways in town. There's a construction area full of half-built houses. Lots of dark and narrow places." Nagato got lost in one of those one summer playing hide-and-seek and the whole town looked for him for ten hours. "And I think there's-"

~'~ ~'~

Productivity went downhill from there.

It was pointless, really. It seemed like there was no hope before we even _got there_. It just wasn't going to happen this easily. _Gack!_

Itachi never complained. But. Well. He's a vampire, I think he's more knowledgable then to just go off on a rant if things don't work out. I guess it also goes into whatever time period he's from. He's a gentlemen, and know's we're trying our hardest. We're just too stupid. _Failure. Translation for idiot speak- pwnage._

_Gack._

Nagato's more optimistic then me, and you can't call it forced when he's just so genuine. Although it is to help us feel better.

I might feel useless because of distractions. Every once in a while Itachi jumps up on something no normal person can reach like that. He's not jumping on roofs, it's just that atheletes would kill to have legs like that.

Me too, it seems very conveiniant.

Nagato's looking down another alley. Itachi's already ontop of a fence next to it. I follow them in, six eyes better then four- can't beat that logic.

Nothing, of course. I'm thinking he knows we're following/looking/searching for him or such. Because the sun is getting ready to turn the town orange and my legs are burning.

Nagato and I look up, he calls to Itachi. "How's it going?"

"Hn." He grunts positively. Maybe he has some good theories in his head.

I follow Nagato when he walks over to look up to our lovely friend. "Anything you want us to try out?"

Itachi doesn't make a noise or move, but his eyes do. He's thinking. He hasn't lost too much hope yet.

My eyes move too. To focus on the moving yellow through the fences rings- Naruto!

Without plan or idea, I know he helps. I dash out, I don't think Itachi's moved yet, only Nagato turns to see me go.

I whip around the building... Uh... Dammit! _Dammit dammit damn- __**iiiiiiit~**_

I lost him. He went somewhere else. _Fuck._ But Itachi's moved his head, he saw him too. Plan forming without having to think. He jumps off the fence. Nagato starts asking us what he missed.

I follow after Itachi. He saw where Naruto went at least. Down one of the alleyways, to a big opening other people use for gatherings sometimes. Lots of spiders-web-complicated alleys go out from here. The only idea I have is that Naruto went under the bridge to the right. Which is one of his usual routes when rampaging through the town.

I look under. There aren't that many shadows, just too many blindspots- Itachi's behind me. and-

"UCHIHA!"

I cough, Nagato gasps and I glimpse him recoiling behind a wall when I turn around. Itachi's jumped up to put his back to the wall. Distracted, but not panicking like Nagato and I are right now.

Deidara's got one of his dangerous little rustic weapons at hold and is just very heatedly _strutting_ over. "Filthy _Uchiha!_ don't even_ think_ of leaving this time!"

Shit. _Did Itachi just __**chuckle?**_ Deidara's _here._ Underline- _here._ Not the best advantage.

This processes, however, into something useful- something useful to _worry about._

_No way we can possible sneak up on a mini-vamp when Deidara's __**screeching!**_

My hands fly up and I hold Deidara still- _my minds working fast, I like that-_ _I can process that I should also keep Deidara from thinking I'm against him- I need to __**distract him**__._

"Deidara what're you doing here?" _Only thing that comes out, but the most neutural sentance I can form right now._

He glares at me like _'Why are you wasting my time!?'_ And scoffs. "Uhm, trying to kill a vampire, Konan. _Duuuuh._"

I bring my hands down. _Distract distract distract. Trust the boys will jump in when I need them._ "Wow, that was... _fast._"

He flips his head back over to me. _Good, he's getting cocky now._ "Yeah, well, didn't fuck over social services for five years by _sleeping._" Five years- _what-what-what?_

_Focus. "_Well, Deidara. All good for you. But we're kindof in a public place, right now."

He blinks, and perks up. Looking around. It's deserted, but it's open enough, back to a bunch of shops, and not the best place to carry out his deeds. _Thank God._ "Oh, _shit._"

Itachi jumps up on the bridge. He just turns and sits there. Waiting for us/waiting for Deidara to leave. Nagato meekly steps out. "Heeeey~ Deidara."

He looks at him. "Hnm, yeah hi-" He looks back to me. "What're you doing with _that_ fucktard?"

I make sure not to look behind me at the fucktard. I open my mouth. Work work work. "Uhm, he found us. Needed us to show him around."

He grins sadistically. "He's so fucking _useless._ Hng." He glances at him and then crosses his arms. "You know, he doesn't have a soul."

"I figured." Technically, not having a heart would be more accurate. If you don't have a soul you barely even count as a thing. And Itachi's kindof alot of things. But right now I'm just thrilled Deidara isn't swinging things around and scratching people.

He's all pouty, eyeing him again. "Fucking not human. Hope he has to sit and watch through the apoclypse. Immortality hasta' _suck_." He sneers loud for Itachi to hear him.

I look at Deidara. "I thought you were the type to like things like that, immortality." _Selfish, vain, stubborn._

But, he just shudders, with a grimace and a sharp intake of breath. "Immortality? The thought that you're stuck here, on this godforsaken planet _forever._ One of the best things that can happen to you is to be taken out at the height of glory, y'know?" He says that with such ideal promise that for a horrible moment I wonder what Deidara's plans are a_fter_ he kills Itachi.

But a sudden jolt of joy, if not slight sorrow, that Deidara will never be able to _do that._

I don't have to cheer for him killing Itachi. But, I can have faith in him. _He's so __**sweet.**__ Pardon bad wording. _"Well, you're pretty glorified. But I'm not looking to lose you anytime soon."

He chuckles. "Ha. You won't, not anytime soon."

_And I don't mind putting up with your moodswings and chewing up my throw pillows either._

_Just so __**innocent~**_

I look back over to Nagato and Itachi. Yeah, Itachi's talented with avoiding Deidara's pressure points. He's sitting, partially but not totally hidden by a pillar. Facing away. Making absolutely no noise. And Deidara's being relatively carefree. This can work.

_But,_ got to remember- Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. Itachi's fabulously dissapearing little brother. _What am I missing?_

There's caves but Itachi's set on him being too finicky to go that far in the woods. Yeah. My former moments of dread are paid off. _I have no idea what to do._

_Can't effectively communicate with Itachi when Deidara's here, I don't think._ I look at him. "Dei, what're you going to do?"

He goes to glaring at Itachi's direction again. "I'm shadowing you guys. _Ughn._ I don't have a fucking _clue_ where that little _shit_ of his is wandering. I don't care. I'm just waiting. Yea."

I'm too shy for a full-on hug so I just squeeze his arm and smile. "Well you have fun with that~"

"Yeahng." He almost poutingly stomps away- back into shadows. Maybe he really is good at that.

_...I need to ask Itachi if Deidara really has been chasing him for five years. Because that would kindof put him at __**ten.**_

But moving on for now...

After making sure Deidara isn't looking back, I turn up. "Common _common._"

Itachi jumps off quickly, and glides under the bridge, Nagato and I quickly follow. Looking around underneith, there's the walkway to the right or maybe uphill to the left. Dammit. Curse Naruto's attention span and Deidara's randomness. Damn them.

Itachi's staying here, thinking about something, he strokes back his hair, trying to make a decision. So Nagato and I know not to say anything.

He makes the decision and darts down the walkway. Nagato grabs my hand so we can at least stay within proximity of _eachother._

We make it out, and fast enough to catch Itachi's dart to the left. But Nagato's already tiring out, and the frozen evening air is making my chest burn.

I look back to Nagato, he nods the okay to keep trying to follow. We jog up, find Itachi again, we haven't lost him yet. He goes through a fence and we catch up okay.

We get to another block, which is where we might've come out if we'd gone up the other way. Itachi darts straight for a moment, and then switches to inhuman speed up a street.

"Wow." Nagato gasps. "That's cool."

It's a few moments and he comes back again before I have time to worry about how to follow him. He rustles his hair again, no luck.

"Nothing?" Nagato asks.

Itachi's concentrating on something. The thoughts in his head or otherwise his vampire senses. "No." He mumbles.

"What should we do?" I ask.

He shrugs, "You two can go on if you want. We'll try again tomarrow."

"Are you sure?" Nagato asks. "We can stay."

"I know where he is, that's good enough right now."

I blink, and take a few moments to measure how brooding my next statement is. "Well, you don't really _know_ where he is, just where he's been and who he's been hanging out with."

Itachi looks at me tiredly, reminding me again that he's probably about a hundred years smarter then me. But then he cracks a chuckle. "I know what _country_ he's in. I consider that _remarkably lucky."_

I groan, this might give me more stress then I thought. Because I know I'll be helping, not just going to walk away and pretend he's fine alone- well, I guess he _is_ fine alone, probably _better_ alone, in some senses. Nagato tugs on his arm- oops, I'm trying to fold him. Sorry sorry~

There's a shuffle behind us, turning- Those are Deidara's locks diving back behind the wall. Nothing special.

_CRASH_

Not sure about that though.

"I'm okay!" And that _is _Naruto's voice. Nagato and I zip over to the back of a vacant house. Naruto's trying to stand up after just slipping off a trashcan. "_Ooooow~_ owowowowowow!"

I go over and brush him off. "What're you doing back here?" Seems like a stupid question, considering he's always doing _something_ ridiculous.

Sure enough he looks up, mouth gaping and blinks. "Uhhhhh, I was... Going to try and get over the fence without going through the door."

_Why?_ I grin. Gawd I love him.

"Whatchu doin' Konan?" He looks behind me to Nagato- then there's a thump and some yelling. Nagato goes off to presumably tear Deidara off Itachi.

I look back to Naruto. "Nothing."

Naruto blinks, raising an eyebrow and comically leaning back. "Oh_reaaaaally_?"

"Hn-hm." Yes yes yes.

I _don't think._ Nagato can handle them on his own.

"AH!" He yelps. Okay. Naruto's not going anywhere. I spin around to check damage.

Nagato's retreated, panting already. Itachi's on the ground but he's more so just lazily patting Deidara's claws away. They look like little kittens.

_Ooooh, Deidara's a puppy and Itachi's a kitty! __**That's**__ the problem!_

I go over and lift Deidara off. He's barely heavier then me, Nagato probably just got wacked and shyed away. When I've pulled him a distance Itachi sits up, non-chalant and acting like he really was just boredly playing.

Naruto comes out after me, looking at us all, then waves. "Hey!"

Itachi turns to look at and watch him. Deidara's ranting on like some kind of Popeye cartoon. '_Lemme at em' lemme at em'!'_ Nagato catches his breath and waves back.

"Naruto, that is a new classmate Itachi." I nod to each. "And this is Deidara. He's in town."

"Lemme at him lemme _kill him_ lemme at him lemme at him!" Really glad my waist is too narrow for any of his elbowings to connect.

I push him to the side and he's at least thrown-off enough to get a different thought in his head. He glares at us, squats down and just watches us continue on. Nagato comes up to my side to comfort me -_slash-_ hide behind me.

Meanwhile, the wheels are still trying to churn in Naruto's head. He wasn't paying enough attention though. Itachi's still watching him, he rises, still watching them. "Hello Naruto."

He looks up at him. "Hey!" He yaps out again with his lovey handsome smile. God I love him.

My arms are getting sore from holding Deidara still so I start clinging to Nagato's arm. "We're showing Itachi around town and Deidara's just having fun stalking us."

"Awesooome!" He giddies. Itachi's still watching. I take a peek at Deidara. Who just blinks at Naruto before going back to throwing daggers at Itachi with his eyes. He doesn't give a shit about anything else right now.

Naruto's giggling at Nagato's distress and my, well, attitude. I don't know if or how he registers Itachi's staring. But he looks up at him again, doesn't look clueless, no, he looks not registering. Good Naruto.

But he cocks his head when he looks at him. "Where're you living?"

Itachi barely brings himself to blink, after a moment. "The condo complex at the entrance of town."

Naruto gets all excited. "Ohmigawd cool! There was a tree there that got hit by lightning and then they had to cut it down- and-"

Naruto blabbers out the story of the tree and the rumors and the ghost stories about the condos as to why people keep moving out of them so quickly. Which the truth is that they move out because they're usually rich people looking for the small-town controversys before they realize we really are just an ignorantly loving community.

With bloodsucking vampires... yeah. Vampires. Naruto would kill for that little detail.

"-And there was this whole big ghost crew there but the Mayor didn't want em' snooping around and-" _The mayor is your __**Dad**__ Naruto. It was his advisors that were pitching the fit, I remember your Mom coming over and rambling about it._ "So if you ever see anything it's supposed to be this blonde country singer channeling her evil twin sister!" I think that last part was the plot of a Fear Street volume. That I've read to him while babysitting. _Awww._

Itachi is staring at him with a kindof bewildered awestuck expression. Eventually he manages to close his mouth and go back to just staring. Naruto, still not noticing, cocks his head again.

"- I just think I've seen you before."

Itachi processes those words and then smiles at him. "Nice to meet you Naruto."

Deidara's getting restless with Naruto's rambling. Hopefully he's going to get bored and go hide again. And not pounce.

Naruto flushes, his break in mouth flapping gives me a chance to ask him- "Naruto, where're all your friends?"

Naruto blinks and does this big dramatic sigh. "Well Lee's doing a tournament somewhere, Kiba's being a stupid _sonofabitch_, Shikamaru's on his frikkin _period_ or something he doesn't want to do anything. And Choji's off with him eating or something." He counts off. Animatedly. Nagato's calming down, Deidara's fallen onto his behind and pouting. Itachi's just gazing at him. Naruto starts looking around. "I'm trying to find Sasuke."

_Perfect._

"Where's he live again?" I ask innocently. Something new flashed in Itachi's eyes when Naruto said the name.

Naruto's turning his gears again. "Well he lives on the edge of town, but we usually meet around the block the basketball court is on, I'mma goin' there now."

My own gears are turning. "You called him?" There's no natural reason why I would ask him that.

He didn't even hear me. He started looking at Itachi. Like it just registered who he resembles. "Huh? oh, uh, no, he usually just pops up when I'm around there. He broke his phone at the beach last summer."

Itachi's grin picks up again, stifling a chuckle. Oh, hey, progress. Happy claps all around. Nagato's hold on my arm tightens and he starts jittering.

Deidara's lazy-perked expression is more so the feeling of- _'Oh, they found him? huh_.'

I picture the area around the basketball court. The community pool is across the street. "We can walk with you, Naru-kit. We were going to show Itachi the community pool."

Naruto raises his arms up in joy. "Okay!"

I hear Deidara scuffle up to his feet. He darts back into the shadows. His killing mood is killed. Itachi's head tilts to the side. He must be content-

Naruto goes back into the alley. He wants to go up over the edge of the bridge and climb up for the straight shot down the road to the court. I follow after him-

Itachi cuts me off and jumps over the wall first. Naruto exclaims how awesome that just was before Itachi reaches down to help him over.

I make sure Nagato makes it over- he does it easy too. I'm the one that has to hop, wobble and roll to get up. After I get up, long blonde locks catch my eye.

Deidara's sitting on the side. Staring at Itachi. Not with bloodlust this time. He notices something we don't. I look at Itachi- who is kindof staring off into the distance. Nagato and Naruto notice it too.

I'm almost too consumed in figuring it out to register the sudden music- Naruto's phone is ringing. "Naruto, your cellphone."

Naruto snaps out of it, Avril Lavigne's 'Girlfriend' is blaring on it. I remember alot of Naruto's ringtones. For Nagato it's _Brother my brother~_ For me it's _Crazy bitch~_ For home it's _I feel like a monster~_ And the Girlfriend ringtone is annonymous. Someone he doesn't have on his contacts list. Normally I wouldn't look too into it but theories of it being tied into everyones sudden stillness and attention to the far-off distance is getting to me.

Naruto opens his phone. "Ello'?"

You can barely make out any noise from the phone, but Itachi's head snaps to it. After that Deidara jumps to his feet and comes over to us.

Naruto's very un-relieved face is already verifying things before he says the name. "Sasuke- ?"

Itachi's head jerks to the distance again, then he goes back to the phone, desperately holding his hand out.

Naruto looks up, he mouths out _you know him-_ "Sasuke, just a second- here." He gives it to Itachi. Who takes it quickly and holds it to his ear.

"Sasuke-"

"_Itachi help me!"_ I heard it- no, it wasn't over the phone. It was close enough that I heard him say it down the block. That's where he is- before I can process any more Itachi darts down the street. Naruto's close behind him.

Deidara curses something, Nagato meeps, and we're after them.

_Itachi could- feel him? smell him? I don't know which is more understandable for a-_

Nagato's got my hand and we reach _yet another_ alley at the same time. I immidiantly notice something. Something Itachi's stopped at.

It's a person- Deidara explains the rest when he groans. "Oh _God_ no."

Nagato's hand comes up to his mouth. He starts softly going near it. "_He's breathing, he's breathing._" _Good._

_Naruto,_ where is he? I look around- oh God there he is. He's approching- _Oh __**God **__no._

And, I think the sense that Itachi and Sasuke are _vampires_ is kicking in again, helped along by the fact that Sasuke's in that corner coated from his face to his ankles in thick red _blood._ The same blood around that guy over there.

Naruto's standing there and he's softly inching forward. Grabbing the back of his shirt like I want to would seem more as a precaution then being rude, but he'll still be mad if I do it. Naruto isn't the sharpest tool in the shed but he's got a heart of _gold_, so I trust his judgement, _somewhat_.

I feel Itachi directly behind me for a moment, Nagato's at my side just as eruptly.

"Nagato," Itachi starts "call a ambulance, say you and your friends just found a guy in an alley, bleeding badly."

Nagato steps back a few paces and pulls out his phone, running off to make the call in quiet.

I have to turn around, Deidara looks livid to all hell. He's pacing around again when Itachi grabs him- Itachi snatches one of Deidara's knifes out of a pocket. "Hey!"

Itachi ignores him. "Do you have a knife that matches this?"

"No-"

"Did you get another one from the same place as this?"

"No! It's from a gas station in fucking _Suna._"

It's a switchblade, Itachi unfolds it- he's holding it with an old rag. "Deidara, go back to Konan's house."

His tone is more different then it's ever been, I don't expect Deidara to listen, but he just groans and grunts and growls and stomps his feet away. He's listening, _for now_, for the better, I think.

Itachi goes over to the guy- I know him, he works at the grocery store, a _really bad_ bagger. Itachi's down next to him now. "Konan- do you have a rag or anything?"

I dart over to him- peeking into the dumpster next to him- _Thank God_. I pull out a towel- he takes it, inspects it, the tag and everything- rubs off a corner- bites the tag off- and uses it to wipe blood away from the _bite mark._

He looks at them closely before using Deidara's switchblade to gently run through them, I tense- trying to think of what he's going to do. They're deep gouges, not just two elegant little teeth holes- it's a disgusting slit for the top and bottom jaw. When the blade reaches the bottom of the cut he yanks it sharply at a funny angle.

The guys out cold, he can't feel anything, I take short comfort in seeing for myself that he really is still _breathing._ Itachi does the same to the other side, this time a more elaborate twist of the wrist and angle, he checks his work before moving on-

He looks up, not at me, he looks to the direction Sasuke and Naruto are in, but he speaks to me. "Konan, I need you to get them out of here-"

I panic, sticken of all ideas of where to take them for a moment. "W- what should I d-"

"_Konan!"_ _He yells sharply_, I'm thrown out of all thoughts. "Get Sasuke out of here _now!"_

I jump up and run over to them. When I get there and I think clearly I try not to think about the sound of him stabbing that man a few more times, in a few random, non-lethal places, to make it look like a mugging, to make it look like his brother didn't just try to _eat him._

Naruto's already by Sasuke's side- he doesn't look quite so pyschotic now, more like completely zoned out, and if vampires could breath-

I don't even want to remind myself of what they are right now. Because I know Naruto doesn't care, Naruto's trying to wipe his face and hands, he's consoleing him right now. _Consoleing,_ the flesh-hungry _monster_ that just almost _killed someone._ Naruto's head is clear of these tainted thoughts.

So I help him get Sasuke on his feet and lead him down an alley opposite of where everything else is going on in. If we cut through two yards and behind buildings carefully we can get to my house about the same time Deidara's arriving. Hopefully before Mom's gotten home so we don't have to sneak him in or otherwise explain why a preteen is coated in blood.

_Oh, yeah, Mom, well, there's this play at school- and- he forgot his spare clothes-_

So I just focus on walking, Naruto's still mumbling kind words, I can make out Nagato talking on his phone- he's pacing the block- still probably taking this better then me.

I tear up, not because I'm scared, but because I'm sorry for Itachi and worried about Sasuke's well being, which is about as saintly you can get in this kind of situation, when you're not a Jesus incarnate like Naruto and Itachi and Nagato.

Just keep walking...


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 5.5**

_Because I could have __**totally**__ taken on Itachi while everyone was panicking and I could have __**totally**__ slit his throat with a much bigger knife then that little switchblade he took, and I __**totally**__ could have pushed Konan and that little yellow runt away long enough to slit his brothers throat too._

_I just didn't feel like it._

And I could have_ totally_ cut that little red-head up and tell the police I scared the real guy off, totally. I would have had to throw the knife in the nearest river, yeah, and I might've had to threaten Konan- which might ruin my chances with her, but that would pass- and I'd probably have to knock out the yellow runt, yeah, that woulda' been the hard part.

_But not killing Itachi I could've __**totally**__ done that._

_I just didn't feel like it._

Everybody either doesn't believe me, doesn't trust me, or, well, just fuck whoever else there is. cuz' I could've _totally_ done it.

But everybody keeps bossing me around- and telling me _where to go_ or _what I should do_ or _not to kill him now it's not a good time_, _GOD,_ everyone just keeps _sucking!_

Everyone tells me_ go home, you'll die on the streets. Go home, stop swinging your stupid __**swords**__ around. Go home, your sister misses you. Go home, we need to handle the cops cuz my __**stupid fucking demon brother just ate a guy.**_

_I could've killed them __**all**__ if I wanted to._

_I just didn't feel like it._

When I outed Itachi- I'm just sent away into Konan's room, _like I don't even fucking __**matter**_, and fucking Nagg runs off so all I have to do is trash Konan's poor room and scare her Mom and make her mad.

She _likes_ me, she's just too busy coping with stupid fucking _Itachi._

I could've _totally_ won her over the first day if I tried-

_I just didn't feel like it._

I sit at home and Konan's Mom asks me why I don't just go to school and that I could meet people and make friends and learn things when _I don't need to meet people, I could make anyone my friend if I wanted to, and, I already fucking __**know everything.**_

I keep getting yelled at whenever I call my _real home_. Old man Onoki keeps yelling at me for leaving and asking where I am and pretending he gives a shit about me when I know full-well he just doesn't want to be saddled with Kuro.

Kurotsuchi didn't want me to leave, she wanted me to stay, and I could've, I could've stayed so she didn't have to move out of town into Onoki's smelling old place, I could've helped her through the therapy so she could try and walk again, I could've stayed with her, but I can help in different ways. I could've stayed-

_I just didn't feel like it._

And I could _totally_ kick all their asses right now, just for pissing me off. I could burn this house down just like Itachi did mine.

Konan got here right when I did, with those two little runts in tow, her Mom was literally fucking home the second she shut her door and got the mini-vamp clean clothes.

Itachi and Nagg got here later, probably had to tell the police that- _**God,**__ Itachi's such a fucking good liar. It's __**disgusting.**_

Konan cried for a while so I got to sit by her and I tried to remind her Itachi's a demon and all- she just wacked me upside the head, but, to even it out she hugged me right after. So I guess I'm good now- and- _God sitting here is painful and my back is fucking killing me._

I might not know it all about vamp culture but I know vampires don't fucking _sleep._ Not in Dracula not in Twilight not in Mythology- so I don't know what the fuck Sasu-_shit's_ doing. Konan and Nagato are passed out on her bed.

I don't know how we all ended up fucking crammed in here like fucking sardines. The yellow runts asleep, cuddled up to Sasu-_fuck_ because he's a fucking idiot and can't see that he's a fucking _pyscho._

Me and _Itachi,_ actually, are the only ones still awake...

He's just sitting there, staring at the wall all depressed and emo and shit. And really looking pretty damn exausted.

...

I could _totally_ kill him right now...

I slide down to get on the floor- checking him out, make sure he's not going to jump over here and tear my heart out and suck on my soul...

...

Sitting there all depressed and shit.

_I could __**totally**__ kill him right now-_

_I just don't feel like it._


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 6**

The next day, I wake up. Itachi and Sasuke are gone. Deidara's still in the corner, just as he was last night, only sound asleep and with a blanket draped over him.

Naruto's still out cold but there's a note wedged under his hand. I can hear Nagato breathing behind me. All is...

I was about to say _normal,_ but.

I sit up in bed. This stirrs Nagato awake. Instead of making a noise he grabs at my arm. "_They're gone._" I whisper. He flutters his eyes open more and props up on his elbows. He surveys what I just surveyed, and falls back onto the bed.

"How're _you_ doing?" He mumbles. Not tired or even annoyed really. More so drearily curious.

"Fine." Guess I'm better with stress then I thought. He checks my face to see if I'm lying. When he's satisfied, he closes his eyes again.

"Hnnn~"

"Hnnn." I copy. A third _'Hn'_ comes from Deidara shortly after. His own eyes flutter, peek around, inspect the room for any vamp filth, then cuddles back up and snoozing again.

Mom came in right then. "Oh, you really do have a little sleep-over set up here." What did I tell her last night? Ah, that Naruto was spending the night, he had a friend with him, and for Itachi it was that he was too late for him to go home. "Where're the other two boys?"

"You didn't see them? They got up and left." I'm really glad that came out so casually, and that I didn't sound too sleepy for it to make any sense.

She waves her hand. "Oh, sneaked right past me." She looks around. "Make sure Naruto's up soon, his Mother wants him home to change." Her gaze lands on Deidara. "Awww, he's so cute."

I grin and nod. Wow I'm exausted. I glance at the clock- it's only seven. Oh- I was tossing and turning last night- I remember looking at the clock at six. Try to remember- I don't remember if Itachi and Sasuke'd left by then.

Nagato kicks his legs around and sits up next to me. Stretching out. Yawning. _Yaaaaawn._

"Start waking up." Mom calls. She preffers me to wake up at a decent time instead of five minutes before the bus gets here. I would, too, but Nagato calls me in the middle of the night to check on me. And, well, there's vampires to hunt.

Deidara rolls over, scrunching around in the big blanket- wait, where'd he get that? Wasn't there last night. Last night it was scrunched in the folds of my bed. I remember because I was too cranky and tired to let me or Nagato try and yank it up.

Naruto stirs. I get up- On natural impulse to make the room more active. Don't want him to go into shock- _No, Naruto's too good for that._ He sits up, looks around, but registers the note in his hand before he goes to a full-screech. He yanks the note open.

I try and act like it's contents aren't the only thing I care about right now. And head over to my closet, making to check on my clothes. "Sleep well?"

"Hnn." Naruto mumbles. Then he gets droopy-eyed and yawns again, leaning back on some of my pillows. Guess the note wasn't life-changing. "Nyaaagh. _Tiiiiiirrrrrrred_."

Deidara grumbles again. Poor spazztic baby. He yanks the blanket over his head.

Nagato rolls out of my bed too, He was the only one to get relatively prepared for bedtime. He managed to remove his shoes, jacket, and unbutton his pants. Unlike the rest of us.

I raise up my uniform. Barely any wrinkles, nice and clean. I just have to get all these boys out of my room when I change. Nagato just rocks himself side to side. Not knowing whether to ask Naruto or Deidara how they feel. Hnm, both blonde, both have pretty blue eyes, both are lovable spazzes.

I choose Naruto because Deidara looks like he wants to sleep. "What's your note say Naruto?"

He flutters his eyes open again, looks at it and holds it up again. "Left with my brother. Enrolling in school. Later loser."

~'~ ~'~

After laughing hystarically at Naruto's lovenote. Naruto managed to crawl downstairs, and make it home. Nagato went to make up a longer story to tell Mom. And since Deidara was asleep, I went ahead and changed in the closet.

Mom giggled at our adventure Nagato concocted out of half-truths and alternate situations. And after gushing over '_Ohmigawd that little dark-haired boy was so __**cute!**_' she gave us some snacks before we left.

I went up to Deidara's bundled blanket and just told him we'd be going to school. His mumbled reply said he was awake enough to hear.

Nagato and I left at eight to get to his house so he could change and relay the story to his own Mother.

She ended up meeting us at their gate, Mom must have called her. "Hi Mommy I love you Mommy~" Nagato drearily yawned, hugging her.

"What have you been busying around doing all week?" Usually Nagato's schedule for a week is three days at my house and four at his own. Or two-five. Or visa-versa if I stay at his house. Mine is just closer to school, which is the only place we really go to regularly.

_Oooh~ wonder if Itachi's parents will let us stay over?_

"Konan had a mini-party at her house." Nagato grumbled out, still half asleep. "We were up late, Naruto was there and everything."

"Want coffee?" She offered.

"Nooo~" He yawned again. His Father was at the door and laughing at us. I stretch- hnm. Maybe I could half-tell my Dad what's going on. Using natural, alternate situations to discribe the position of my unnatural one.

_Okay so we took in this little guy I found out in the rain- and- uh- then I became friends with this- uh- rich-urchin-forgien-ubercool- something that creates the same kind of tension as a vampire- they don't like eachother- because- uhm- he- uh- got his sister pregnant- uhm- Naruto's friends with his brother who has ADHD-_

Maybe Nagato could help me with ideas.

I follow them in and sit in one of the loveseats by the door. Nagato's house is a mahogony-wood little manor- smaller and more comfy then my house. Only three bedrooms as opposed to my we-never-counted house. And the guest room is dominated by Chibi. Who's jumping at my legs and sniffing at me right now.

When Nagato's Mom comes in she hands me a little bun to nibble on. "I'm gonna take Chibi out, tell Nagato I'm out there."

"Alright, keep an eye on him, there might be a dog in heat somewhere, he keeps wanting to run off." Chibi listens to Nagato better but I can stay close to grab his collar if he gets too excited.

I nibble the bun- I ate the homemade granola bars Mom forced at us but now I'm really registering how hungry I am. Lessee, Usually Nagato and I make ourselves mini-dinners. And not doing that lately topped with late nights registers my not-so-regulated eating schedule. _How can I eat so much and still have the waistline of a One Piece heroine?_

Chibi waddles into some bushes to go. Hnm, I remember helping potty-train him. NO. Outside grass and the green rugs in the living room are not the same! Use your nose, silly orphan puppy.

Chibi scratches grass over his little poo-pile and shuffles out- He perks up. Bird?

I hear a thud- turn around- wasn't from the house. Nagato's not out yet. Chibi starts barking. "AR-AR-AR-AR-AR-AR-AR-AR-RAURAUGH!"

I notice it now. Ahhh, Itachi jumps off the top of Nagato's fence. Chibi outed him. He kneels down to stop the dog from tackling him, rastling alittle bit before backing away.

"Chibi!" _There's_ Nagato. He skips, fully awake out of the door. "Goodboy found Itachi! goodboy!"

His Mom follows him out. "Hello~ You're Nagato's new friend?"

"Itachi Uchiha, my pleasure." He smiles up. Oh, _that's_ why Mom gushes over him.

"Well then you all have fun now." She nods us off. "Common Chibi."

Chibi starts for her, but jumps back. He circles around Nagato a few times before going back to Itachi. "We'll make sure he gets in Mom." Nagato calls.

"Alright, loveyoubye." Nagato sees her off and then gets down over to Chibi.

"He likes you~" Nagato coos. Chibi's just hopping and sniffing and staring up at Itachi like he's God.

Itachi's showing him attention, but keeps backing away. After Nagato's statement, Itachi blinks to himself, then nervously brushes at his hair. "Nagato, the reason your dog likes me so much is because I smell like _dead meat_."

That makes sense, actually. A couple years ago, a neighbor went hunting and brought a deer home- Chibi dashed straight to its severed head and made it his girlfriend. Huh- explains why Itachi recoils his legs whenever he gets too close... _pfffft- hahahaa!_

_Itachi's the dog in heat!_

Nagato covers his mouth in attempt to hide his chuckles too. Chibi hops up to get Itachi's attention again, Itachi pets him but slides his legs back.

So we have to use Itachi as bait when we get Chibi back in the house. Have him crab-walk towards the door before Nagato shoves Chibi inside. _Oooh, yay, if vampires could blush._

~'~ ~'~

"Why didn't you tell us you had super-speed?" I bugged at him when Nagato wouldn't ask fast enough. We waited for the bus again. Just very normally waiting for the bus. Normally. Yes. Normal.

Itachi looks up at me, thrown-off again, eyebrows raised. "Well if I go that fast for _too_ long, my clothes will shred."

Bad thoughts, bad thoughts, perverted thoughts, out of my head.

Nagato laughs again.

"_Only for emergencies_." He explains. "If you need something, call out."

Nagato forces air into his lungs to ask- "Cannwe call you if a van almost runs us over!?" Then he gushes out again.

"No _Twilight._" He gives Nagato a look. "But yes."

"How long are you going to be in town then?" I ask him. Oh oh oh- say _forever,_ you're our new best friend.

He's still being his stotic self, but there's a grin lingering on his lips. _Common! have fun already!_ "I've pretending to be in my thirties before. And Sasuke passes as a highschooler. We'll be here for a while."

I remember a thought I'd had earlier. Nagato's still laughing. I'm good to ask the questions now. "What're your parents like?"

Eyebrows raise over closed eyes. Like a- '_did you seriously just ask me that?'_- face Itachi likes to make. "Father poses as a war veteran, engineer, lawyer, he's been in the police force before. He's going for engineer this time around. Mother likes posing as freakishly talented and loving housewive. She's the one that sits at peoples tea circles and listens to gossip."

Nagato's giddily staring wide-eyed now. "Cannwe come over!?"

Itachi looks up to him. "Get your parents to set up a dinner party. Mother and Father preffer lying to adults then playing truth with kids. They had hernia's when we told them about last night."

I sigh. "Oh, you couldn't just lie? we got to lie to _our_ parents." Well, barely. We just told half-truths and left species and eating people and blood out.

"Sasuke blabbed and I had to tell the whole story. But they had already figured out we did something. It's harder to lie to immortal parents." He drones.

Nagato cocks his head. "Wow, that must suck."

"Yes." He blinks a moment. "...Totally." He mocks-

_Gaaaah! Itachi just said __**totally!**_ "How hard do you try to act like a normal teenager?"

He looks up to start thinking. "I've posed as every cliche social reject throughout history."

Nagato gets up all straight and excited. "Well that won't work on us! we like you anyway!"

He blinks slowly. Nagato's starting to scare him probably. "... Yes, well, you're both nice." He looks at us both. "Last I got such kindness like this was when I was posing to have AIDS."

Nagato and I gape at him for a while. "...You just don't like attention, do you?"

He shrugs. "It's more of a low-profile thing. My mother posed as a flapper girl to scare off religous neighbors in the fifties."

Nagato's still gaping his mouth while he blinks. Then he giddily points at me. "Konan was a flapper girl for Halloween when we were eight!"

Itachi grins and turns to look at me. Yeah, uhhhm. _Hope Nagato doesn't find our Mom's copies of me doing my little dancing._

~'~ ~'~

Bus came, we got on. I might have just been paying more attention this time but the girls really are leaning out of their seats to look at Itachi. And they gape that we're the ones talking to him like we weren't doing it yesterday. Maybe we just look fresher now that all of yesterdays drama is gone.

I'm really planning to check on the tea club before we leave. Haven't gone in a while. Nagato's blabbering with Itachi after I decide that. Itachi keeps insisting he doesn't want to be in a club, even though Nagato's throwing out some fun suggestions.

"And then there's baseball- you could do baseball- probably basketball too- I was in the track club when I was little- you don't have to do anything even- just cross the finish line eventually. Then there's library and cooking and chess and- we have a club for every competition game you can think of- in Middle school there was a Monopoly club-"

_Yeaaaaaah. _Nagato's happy. If Itachi wasn't so patient he'd have left us by now.

We got to class, Professor Yashagoro is already here, so everyone's quieted down to a freightened pitch. He can jump up and start shouting just whenever he pleases.

Everyone's settled into seats. Nagato's still hyper-giddy. Takamura is ontop his desk, as usual. Anko is sitting beautifully still, waiting for class to start boredly. Akame's loudest, talking in loud hushes about horses and pink barbie-like stuff. Not sure why, Keiko's the rich one.

Eventually the bell rings. Professor Yashagoro, who had his head in another magezine, pops his head up. "Oh, what time is it?"

"Nine, Professor. Beggining of the school day." Kimimaro Kaguya softly explained. He's Professors favorite. Always sitting quietly in the back.

Professor Yashagoro blinks. "Ah, yes." He closes his magezine. "Chemistry, well, yesterday was- yes. Uhhhm... Write me a list of poisons in medicine."

Not sure what he was doing last night. And regardless of how Professor Yashagoro asks, you don't backtalk or question him. I just pull out my notebook and take my chemistry book- I'll scan the index for all the chemicals and read through them. Nagato'll slip me notes to proof-check. Itachi doesn't need his notebook, probably already learned this last century.

"Professor _Yaaashaaaaaa~"_ Anko doesn't follow any Yashagoro rules. _Except the one not to call him by his first name._ "Canni have some _caaaandy?_"

"No, Miterashi. No candy. Do your work."

She pouts and folds up her legs before scrawling onto papers.

~'~ ~'~

At lunch the boys pulled their chairs to me again. Damn, this has the potential of becoming routine. When I'm pulled up with Nagato it's easier to avoid looking at anyone.

That wasn't a problem though before we got Itachi Uchiha as our companion- Well, between the 'Ame's Rainbow Princess' intermission. _Dammit Mom._

If I wasn't focused enough to register peoples looks yesterday, I sure hope this doesn't become a thing. I have two and a half more years of Highschool here- And Akame, Miss boy-crazy-fluff-girl who's giving me the worst of the jealousy glares has literally been in my classes since _Elementry school._

I'm pulled out of my dreading when a person- Hana Inuzuka- comes up. He sweetly nods to us before turning to Itachi. "Well, hi. Thought I might have to finally aquaint myself."

Hana's our towns famous don't-fuck-with-me tomboy everyone's been scared of since kindergarden. She's always looked out of place in our girly uniform. But hers always looks extra dishevled.

"Where'd you move to?"

"The Myth Gardens condo complex." He droned out.

She grins. "Everyone's going to want to tell you that's haunted, but don't listen- They built that thing over waterlines so there's just noises of that going through."

"No, I saw the ghosts." He mumbles just matter-of-factly.

Hana does a funny little _eh?_ face. And stares at him for a while. Eventually her mouth closes and she swallows. "Uhm... Got any pictures?"

"I need a new camera. My phone was too fuzzy." I don't know if he's applying anti-social ettiquete or really is seeing ghosts there. Nagato's nudging me. He wants to check it out.

But Itachi takes out his phone and starts clicking through. Then raises it to Hana.

"See that?"

Hana stares at it for a long while. "...Thatsa' face."

"Hn-hm." He brings it back. Flashing it towards us. Cannot let Naruto see that. And must post-pone Nagato dragging us there.

Ghosts follow you home. And I already have a stray living with me.

~'~ ~'~

Nagato went to talk to his Go friends while Itachi has dissapeared on us again. Although I trust he will magically apper _as per_ the usual. I checked on Tea Ceremony club. Only other one I know who takes this is Kagura Yuurei- oh yes, and Jugo Fuumi. Who sits quietly and invisabley in a corner in both our class and this club. Staring down at something. Quiet. Always.

Kagura greeted me and thanked Nagato and I again for helping her and Akame with the stands. Akame is impossible with chores, which is why it's insane for her to be Kagura's _bestie._ But they contrast and it's fun to watch from afar.

_Akame is __**insane.**_

I shutter- but I don't want to think about that. Having made note that Jugo's here, I nod to him, he barely glances up when he acknowledges me. I start playing with some teacups. Spinning them around on the table, carefully and gentley rising them, Akame rushes in to blabber to Kagura about something and I quickly slam the teacup back down. Before she can exclaim _like that one time._

Remembering how much I miss by friends and require their presense for mental peace- _peace? with Itachi and Deidara? what was I just thinking?- _Either way. I want to rejoin them.

I bid goodbye to Kagura and head back out. Having done virtually nothing. I already won an award for a tea ceremony- I'm not really missing much. And currently I'm missing Nagato. Must find him.

The Go club is down the hall, he joined when he found absolutely nothing else to be interested in- he wanted to be in baseball, but sports and anything else relatively active aren't exactly on his abilities list.

_Poor guy._ I pat slightly on the door and smooth it open. Less then a few even look up at me. Takamura Yoishi gives a smile and wave and I nod before making to the back ot the room. Nagato looks like he's already beat a guy even meeker then him. The kid slumps away humiliated and Nagato leans back. "Ko-naaaaaan~" He whispers.

_Bored._ I mouth. Probably something like jetlag. Considering the last few days have been Hell and now it's all nice and mellow.

Nagato chuckles, and is about to get out of his seat to come with me before my bag starts rattling. There's none of the disturbing tinkling music sounds as I dig into my bag and hustle out. Dammit why did I just _throw it in there?_ Nagato's behind me by the time it's in my hand- vibrate only means annonymous or-

"Hello?"

"_What's Fifty-six times seven-hundred and eighty-nine?"_

_Ha! that was the first one you ever asked me!_ "Forty-four thousand one-hundred and eighty-four." _I will always remember that one!_

"_That was done by memory._" _Yes, yes it was, Kakuzu. I will never forget that day. "Finish your Chemistry homework?"_

_He knows I hate Chemistry._ "Yes."

"_What else do you have to do?_"

I think about it. "Nagato and I have a chemistry project, but it's not due until next week." I think-_When was it again? The dates in my head but I don't know what the date today is._

_"And what're you doing for that?" Oh, you just had to ask me that._ He's barely even paying attention, as usual. Probably reading something. He still registers everything I say though.

"Uhhhm, I wanted to make a volcano-" Nagato starts violently shaking his head. Calm down!

"_You don't remember what happened last time? or did the fumes give you brain damage?_" _Oh shuttup you._

Nagato's covering his mouth, trying not to laugh. I don't know if he can hear him or is just imagining what he must be saying.

_Kakuzu always does this._ Call to harrass me into homework and the opening line is always a math problem. I've been good with number problems since I was little- when Mom first brought up him helping tutor me, he asked me the question. _56789._ I'd stood there for about ten minutes, working it around, and was off by about three additions. He recited the correct answer and I've never forgot it.

I follow Nagato as he trails over to our classroom to grab his bag. A hall monitor gives me a dirty look for being on the phone- _What? it's afterschool hours._ Kakuzu continues his drilling.

"_Recent reports?"_ I sigh.

"Nothing special." I muse out. "Coach Guy had some kindof accident, so we haven't been having Gym." Which really just means we don't have to die and just need to sit through longer Forgien Arts and painting-Art. "Some homework is behind but nothings due til' nextweek. There's supposed to be a quiz Wednesday, but nothing other then that." Wait, Friday's sticking out in my head for me. Need Nagato to recite everything again-

"_Tomarrows Wednesday, Konan."_ _Shit, caught my fail- Dammit, Kakuzu! I've had other things to worry about other then what day it is!_

But tomarrow _is_ Wednesday, and I _haven't_ really been keeping track of my time. I usually don't, it's been long agreed that's Nagato's job. "Right- anything else sir?" I mumble out. If he's feeling compassionate he might take pity and leave me alone-

"_I suggest you tape a calander to your wrist._" _Or, he might just want to be himself._ "_How about you build something about the water cycle? You can do that, can't you? water cycle? spins around and goes down the drain?"_

_Commoooon~_ "Yes Kakuzu, of course Kakuzu_." I can hear him rolling his eyes._ "I'm still intent on fire, though."

_"How about a dissection of paper cuts?_"

_Stop picking on my paper fetish!_ "Maybe next time. Unless you have any other input- I can call you tomarrow."

"_Konan, I don't care if you're PMSing, just listen._" How does he always know my schedule?_ And I don't like blaming the __**PMS.**__ "Lets try this, count backwards from one hundred. And then try and have a normal conversation with me._"

_Sadly, this __**is**__ a normal conversation with you._ Nagato's gotten his bag and is watching me bemused as I give him my pleading _why 'Kakuzu?'_ look.

"One-hundred. Ninety-nine. Ninety-eight. Ninety-seven-"

~'~ ~'~

We haven't found Itachi yet. But neither of us are very worried. What I'm still consumed about is Kakuzu's chewing me out for not being a pure intellectual. Maybe I'm just too nice to be one- hm, that theory is better then the one of me just being incompetent. _Nagato __**does**__ take, process, and recycle things better then me, though._

Well... _Better then thinking I'm incompetent._

My hands are folding over themselves again. Hnm. Fold, Smooth. Smile. Makes me feel better.

Nagato's giggling still. "You okay?"

"Hngm." I grumble out. Blubber, really. _Fuck __**vampires,**__ my problem is __**teachers.**_

Nagato hooks his arm in mine while we walk down the block and start up the steps to my house now.

I'm fully prepared and expecting to continue in my _I can't stand Kakuzu_ mind-thoughts. But I can't focus on them after we hear the _thumping_ and _banging._

_BANG_

_THUMP_

"UCHIHA!" Nagato and I are too chicken to just rush up, so we try and keep the steady pace going up the steps and to the top. When we reach, our little blonde puppy is barking up a tree. "UCHIHA COME DOWN HERE!"

Nagato giggles at the mental images he's getting while I unhook my arm with his and start unsteadily over. "Hey, Dei, how's it going with that?"

He turns his head and flips his little locks around. "He's here again!"

"I know I know, what's he doing?" Sooth, like a little child.

He poutingly points up, _like a little child._ "He's in the fucking _tree!" He whines- okay, it's just regular grumbling. But his eyes are so big and wide and bright today._

He's starts scratching at the tree, trying to get a footing. No use, Dad cut off all the weak little low branches the summer after I fell off it. Smiling at the memory and Deidara's persistant attempts, I grab Nagato and we go on over there.

If Deidara keeps clawing at it like that he might actually make it up. But when we get over there he growls again. The tree branches shuffle.

I catch the sight of him jumping to the stone fence behind and then down to the ground. Still cool, but not as awe-strickening as it would be. Besides- Deidara starts for him again- pulls two things out from behind his back- _Oh- __**shit.**__ Nagato yelps._

He's gotten ahold of a _lighter_ and a can of spray. _No, dammit!_

Itachi's eyes flutter and he makes the few feet backwards leap, thankfully, since Deidara gets the thing doing what he wants it to immidiantly. A problem, because when he does- Deidara erupty stops spraying it- making it sputter and- _Dammit! backfire!_

The flames barely graze Deidara before they die. But after we've all gotten function back in our heads, we register the fire still burning. We call out and Deidara just quickly throws the can at Itachi.

Itachi has to dash back and jump over the wall and into the bushes to avoid the loud, bright _explosion_ that erupts. Nagato and I hide behind eachother while Deidara has barely flinched.

Instead he just starts laughing like a maniac. Nagato chuckles nervously and Itachi pokes his head out of the bushes.

Eventually Deidara's laughing so much he falls over and it's actually mindnumbingly adorable. Itachi keeps his distance, _very smart,_ and Nagato and I make our way over to him.

He's just _Rolling On the Floor Laughing_ and I take a moment to watch his gut-busting antic. "Happy with yourself?"

"That was _sooo_ fucking _awesome!_" He hystarically laughs out. It's loud and addicting like ancient gold church bells and I _love it._

Nagato's gotten down to inspect his arms- ow, I wouldn't be laughing through that. "Dei! lookit what you did to yourself!"

He doesn't, really. He just sits up to lean against the tree and keeps laughing. "I need to do that again- hng-"

His arms are wrinkled and red from the burns. And I don't think he could be laughing this hard if he was really in that much pain- I hear the door.

"Honey? Konan what happened?" Mom calls while she walks over.

I almost fumble a bad excuse out my mouth but Nagato raises his hand to save me. "Deidara burned himself playing with a lighter!"

Mom stares at us confused for a moment. "A lighter? what wer- oh my _Deidara!_ honey look at your arms!" She kneels down. Excuses forgotten and just tending to him. "Konan, go get some cold water- use the hose- and some bandages- Nagato go start breaking up the aleo plant- oh Deidara honey these look _painful!_"

Momma keeps fussing. Itachi's circled around- still keeping the same distance- he calls Nagato and throws some wrappings over. Deidara doesn't notice. I leave my bag and get going for the backyard.

Deidara's still chuckling, not really worried- I hustle into the backyard and look around- yes, bucket. Works. Little wooded and old fashioned thing. This one holds water good. Dad would dunk my head in it when I was little.

The water for the hose comes from the well- the nossel is down and a couple feet from it. The whole backyard is grounded with gray stone. Our little well is in the back, by the bushes and wildflowers and trees that line up against the stone wall. There's some old, weather-beaten chairs near the house, but after that it's quite a few yards of nothing until the well.

It's incredibly deep, we were never allowed to go near it when Nagato and I were real little. You fall in there it would mean Hell to get out. When the suns in the right place you can barely see the glintings of the water at the bottom.

Ugh, the end of the hose is way up here- I drag it with me while I go over and turn the nossel. I stay with it- make for absolute sure the bucket won't leak and the hose isn't too twisted up. Have to kick it around a few times- work the knots and kinks out. Water's nearly frozen. _This'll make Deidara stop laughing._

Once it's working up enough, I look around. Yeah, I can still hear the puppy. At least he's not yelling.

There's clouds in the sky. And no matter how fluffy or white they are, it could still turn to rain in Ame. It's actually been a pretty dry month so far. Even including the storm a few days ago.

It's almost full- crap-... yeah, I can carry it decently. No need to waddle. I heave it up, kicking the nossel- yes, closed. I can return now.

I pass the well, all pretty and old. The little stone pilars around it with the little red, beaten roof and all the hanging charms around it.

I lean to my side, looking down it, a natural impulse- just to remind myself how deep it is-

_URRRRRRGH_

Bucket falls- My vision flushes a _putrid green _and something wraps around my entire body, I'm almost pulled in- _almost._ But a flash of white light and the green mist evaporates and- it _retreats_ back inside the well.

I fall back onto the ground, hardly, I would be flat out on my back but something's bracing me- _Someone's bracing me._

I have to take a moment to compose myself, I breath, slowly, deeply, I look at the well, Nagato and I would make _jokes_ it was a portal to another world, but I would _really like it_ if the next story arc of my life wasn't a bad, localized Inuyasha remake.

I know someone pulled me out of that thing, I look around- I would have expected Nagato, he's saved me enough times before. Then maybe Itachi or Deidara, maybe even Naruto or Mom-

But it's none of them- I don't know what it was, there was someone, next to me, touching me just now, green robes that vanished like smoke in the wind, and I saw it- I_ felt it-_ red hair tickled against my cheek.

But it's gone now.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 6.5**

_Sasuke came to his house. After he got home. Before he got to school. He told him the truth. The whole truth. Naruto didn't care. Just that Sasuke said he was sorry. That's all that mattered._

Naruto went to school. As the normal. After crawling away in _angst,_ Konan managed to have her Mom call_ his_ Mom. So the only greeting was:

_'Naruto honey! before you ask we only had stirfry lastnight, you didn't miss anything- Naruto! what's all over your clothes!? I told you to be careful- hurry and change into your uniform, schoolbus is on it's way.'_

So he got into his uniform._ He talked to him_. And went off to school. All normal.

All the while gushing in his head...

_'... OMGOMGOMGOMG THIS IS SO AWESOOOOOME!'_

Naruto was excited- no- _giddy,_ with his new information.

_It was barely hard- would probably be harder in the future- but Naruto __**liked**__ hard. Hard was __**real.**_

'_GAH! TOO AWESOME! Must... not... giggle- GIIIIII!_'

Naruto was _giddy._ But, giddy was _normal._ Especially for him.

His mother was pretty curious as to how he had gone from so groggy and grumpy to barely five minutes later being his normal self. Hmmm.

He got on the bus, his mind spinning with too much adrenaline and hyper juices to process anything else. A couple friends poked at him or gave him dirty looks. He just gushed at himself the whole time.

Now he had made it to his classes. Iruka Umino started it up with History, but before getting to that, he had an announcement- "Alright everyone, quiet down- I know this is sudden, I just heard about it myself a few moments ago- but we have a new student joining us today." There were some ohs, ahs, grunts, and moans. "_Make him feel welcome_!" He yelled at everyone insistantly.

The lot of the kids reluctaintly quieted, just as the new student came in, easily setting his desk aside.

"Alright, you may introduce yourself." Iruka motioned him.

The raven-head didn't turn to his classmates. Kept his head turned mostly towards the teacher. "Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto had his '_Yeaaaaaah- I'm so awesome I know what's going on-'_ face he didn't get to use very often.

"And where are you from Sasuke?" Iruka asked, guessing the boy shy or just reluctaint.

And he just shrugged. "My family moved here from England last week. I was going to a school in the next town over until it just closed down."

Iruka was still reviewing the boys records. Having had them eruptly thrown at him just five minutes before. "Aaaand- your sign?"

"Leo."

Too kind to be tired and too tired to be completely amused, Iruka looked up at him. "Any special talents?"

Sasuke shrugged once again. "Nothing necessary to mention."

Naruto rolled his eyes. '_So __**annoying.**_' Meanwhile, Sakura Haruno, next to him, was already hopping in her seat. She remembered him from the eventful basketball match the past week- this was her dream come _true!_

Iruka stood to address the class again. "Alright, good. Naruto, Sakura, Ino, scoot to your left. Kiba, Shino, scoot to your right."

_'Eh? right? left?'_ Naruto has to follow Sakura. Couldn't otherwise figure out which is right or left.

Sasuke goes on to set his own desk in place, and class starts.

Naruto was very, very, _very,_ ready to start passing notes to Sasuke. But Naruto being the class clown and Iruka knowing that, he was never going to get the chance. Iruka gave him a _don't think about it_ look before Naruto had even worded his first note.

After Iruka was Kurenai Yuhi, and then it was Kakashi Hatake, who- '_Ohmigawd Kakashi totally OWNED Sasuke! 'blehblehbleh you sure caused a stir you little runt blehblehbleh'- ha!'_. Because of Coach Guy's absense- _'Gaaaah, it wasn't an accident. Lee wouldn't shut up about him falling off the polls during practice and falling into that stupid spring'_- Lunch was being held earlier.

Interesting- since had it not been that way, there would have been less time to gossip.

Naruto pulled his seat over to Sasuke, who, just gave him a _look,_ that Naruto laughed at and ignored. Attempting his own version of it, Sasuke just rolled his eyes. Naruto left only to heat the water for his ramen cup.

After that, the _first_ thing he noticed, was, well-

Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka had been inseperable for _years._ They were connected to eachothers hip. Seperate them and their livers die and all of that. Now, Naruto was very accustomed to looking at his dearest '_Aaaah- Sakuraaaaa~'_ Throughout most of his time around her, so he might have been the first to notice any disturbance.

The two weren't chatting as loudly or giddily as usual. And Ino not being loud was immidiantly off. Naruto didn't hear what was said, but at one point Sakura eruptly got up, moved her chair and lunch to her own desk. And sat there, incredibley silent, solem. Naruto almost leaned over to her but then she lividly growled at him. _'Sakura's __**scaaaary~**__'_

After that, Naruto just tried poking at Sasuke- "Sasuke! common!" He plucked a long noodle out of his cup. "_Huuuuuungry?_"

Sasuke glared at him rather maliciously. Naruto kept grinning at him like an idiot, eyes narrowed in '_I __**own **__you.'_-ness.

Eventually, Kiba Inuzuka came up. "Eh, Naruto." He greeted. Then narrowed his eyes at the other. "Sasuke."

"Kiba." Sasuke returned. He brought a hand up and poked at Kiba's stomach. "You've gained some weight."

The bump that had been in Kiba's jacket growled and wiggled, Kiba covered his arm over it. "_Shuttup Akamaru!_ I know, he smells like _garbage._" He growled in union with the puppy.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Gah, you guys are _stupid._"

Kiba still looked Sasuke up and down. "_So_, you're going here now? Where're you living at?"

Sasuke just entwined his fingers and stared at the wall. "Myth Gardens condo complex."

Kiba fluttered his eyes. "Ey, that place's haunted you know."

Sasuke shot him a dirty little look. "No, it isn't. That's _ridiculous._"

Kiba did a funny little _eh?_ face. And stared at him for a while. Eventually his mouth closed and he turned around. "Eh, _whatever._"

Naruto slirped more of his ramen. "That place _is_ haunted, ya know. Newsstories and _everything."_

"You're an idiot."

Naruto stuck his noodle-entwined tongue out at him. _He was still acting relatively tame, he was still pretty tired after last night._ Then, well.

Insert piercing scream here.

Ino had lunged for Sakura and the two were then wrestling ontop of eachother on the floor. Clawing and biting and screeching. Naruto hopped up and crawled over to the other side of Sasuke's desk, others backed up to the walls while Hinata Hyuga, victim of having her desk used as a prop, screamed and passed out.

Kakashi Hatake and Asuma Sarutobi, hearing the screeches, quickly swooped into the classroom and pulled the girls apart.

So, after Asuma carried Hinata off to the nurses office, Kakashi remained to lecture and keep an eye on them.

Naruto curled up into his chair, too scared to look at the _'__**scaaaaary**__ girls.'_

The rest of their classes went through. The only other thing to notice was that when Professor Yashagoro entered, he looked up, squeeked, and was then acting very bright-eyed and sweet the rest of the day. Which was _absurdly_ off.

Naruto only got yelled at a total of eight times, and all in all, it was a good, regular day.

Naruto, not wanting to go near Shikamaru and Choji, who were damn shaken up from the Ino-Sakura-warpath incident, ended up walking around, too tired to do his usual chaos-making. Kiba was being a '_smelly stupid old sonofabitch._' and Lee was inside the school doing something tiring.

And now, Naruto had lost track of Sasuke. They'd gone different directions in the hall, and he was nowhere to be found. This made Naruto very grumpy. Until finally he caught sight of him.

Off in a shaded corner of the schoolyard. With his brother, who within moments had turned and left over the wall. Naruto hopped over- He caught Sasuke's sleeve.

"That's your _brother?_"

He nodded. "Yes."

Blinking up at the high wall he had just scaled, Naruto cocked his head to the side. "He's cool."

Sasuke nodded. "_Yeah._" Duh.

_Slowly waking up. _He looked at Sasuke. "Why's he get to be _your_ brother? You're not _cool enough_ to get something that awe-_sooome!~"_ Naruto was finally awake. Whiney and hyper. _As per_ the usual.

Urking, for a second, Sasuke just poutingly jerked his face away. "Whatever, loser."

Naruto twitched grumpily before spouting- "Hey buddy! you owe me! After all I did for you last night! You coulda- I dunno- went to vampire jail or something!"

Sasuke looked around to any onlookers- nothing, Naruto wasn't _that_ stupid. _Kindof_. "Yeah, well, I don't really remember alot about that night."

Naruto perked up, cocking his head innocently. "Huh? I thought you had- like, super vampire-memory or somethin'."

Sasuke took a step back and raised an eyebrow. " _'Super-Vampire-Memory_'?_"_

Naruto shrugged. "Hnn-hn, you can do everything else."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "No we _can't,_ you idiot."

"Well, besides pee and be ticklish and taste things and get a boner and stuff-"

"Shut up!"

"_Whaaat_? you're the one that told me." Naruto was awake. _And now, he grabbed Sasuke's arm and pulled him out into the sunlight._


End file.
